


My Demons

by Ringo_Angel



Category: B.A.P, Boys Republic (Band), Highlight | Beast (Band), KARD - Fandom, MBLAQ, Soul Connection (Band), UNIQ (Band)
Genre: - eventually, Alternate Universe, Angst, Boys' Love, Demons, Demons / Human, Fantasy, Fluff (at times), Hardcore, I'm useless at tagging, I'm using some of my ultimate bias bands for this ones guys!, M/M, Seven Deadly Sins, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2020-10-10 12:53:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 91,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20528351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ringo_Angel/pseuds/Ringo_Angel
Summary: SuperbiaPride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.InvidiaEnvy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.GulaGluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.LuxuriaLust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.IraAnger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.AvaritiaGreed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.AcediaSloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Same story is on Asianfanfics under the same name ^^ Just thought I'd pop it here too x

Junhong was practicing his dancing again, late at night in the dance studio. He’d gotten used to practicing by himself, but he tried not to let it phase him. He’d joined this dance studio awhile back, after he’d settled into his university. It was weird moving to Seoul. He didn’t know anyone, but this was the next chapter in his life.

Not many people really seemed to like him in this dance studio. Maybe it was because he was better? Junhong didn’t want to toot his own horn or anything, but he’d been dancing most of his life, so he’d required at least some skills.

“Hey, that kid’s here again.” A voice sounded from the corner of the dance studio. Junhong ignored the voices he'd learnt in the past two months of joining this studio.

“I heard that his parents have been imprisoned before.” Ignore them.

“Really?”

“Something about drugs, I think.”

Junhong carried on dancing, focusing more on the music than the voices behind him. He wouldn’t get angry at trivial things, that what he’d always told himself. The music allowed him to move his body more gracefully.

“Hey kid! Why don’t you go back down to the shit end of the country!” One of the dancers shouted out to him.

Junhong stopped his dancing, slowing his breathing a little. He didn’t need to waste his anger on them. He needed to ignore them.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” A guy grabbed Junhong’s arm, turning him around violently. The guy was shorter than Junhong by quite a lot, making him crane his neck. “Shit, lanky bitch.” He shoved Junhong back, making the younger fall back into the mirror.

“Run on back home, kid. Your dialect is so annoying.” The other one snarled.

Junhong just took another deep breath, pushing himself off the mirror. He didn’t want to cause a scene or fight, not when he was still new to this studio. Anyway, he’d made sure that he didn’t use his Mokpo dialect. Even the others on his course had a tough time guessing where he was from on freshers’ day.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” The wider of the two grimaced.

“Hey!” A new voice shouted out from the doorway. Jongup, the son of the studio owner, came running into the studio. “What the hell is going on here?” He demanded, seeing Junhong cornered by the other two.

One of the dancers clicked his tongue, turning to his friend. “Let’s bail.” He sounded so nonchalant. They both turned and walked out of the studio.

Jongup made his way over towards Junhong, patting his arm softly. “Are you okay?” He asked with concern evident in his voice.

“Don’t worry, Hyung.” Junhong smiled at the elder, trying his best to hold it all together. “It’s just like every other day anyway, so I’m pretty used to it now.”

“You shouldn’t have to get used to it.” Jongup sighed, scratching at the back of his neck.

“Really, Hyung. Please don’t worry about me so much.” Junhong smiled, like he always did. This wasn’t the first time Jongup had caught others picking on the younger. 

Junhong wasn’t the youngest dancer, nor the oldest. But, he was the tallest. Some of the other dancers decided to use this as a reason to bully Junhong, it was completely unfair and uncalled for.

Junhong walked over to grab his bag, packing away his iPod and water bottle. Jongup just watched him do it, since he didn’t want to force the other to stay.

“Why don’t you fight back?” Jongup asked out of curiosity.

“Nothing good ever comes from getting angry and fighting back.” Junhong smiled towards the elder but didn’t look directly at him. Jongup didn’t know what to say to come back to that.

Junhong stood up with all his belongings. He smiled brightly, like nothing that just happened had phased him at all. “I’ll see you later, okay?” He patted Jongup on the shoulder, before turning around and heading out of the door.

-

Taehyung was looking through the window of another estate agent. All the houses in centric Seoul were so damn, expensive it was unbelievable. He’d been living in Seoul for almost two years now, but he still didn’t have his own place.

Thankfully, Taehyung’s friend Somin had offered him the spare room in her apartment. Taehyung knew Somin through family and had grown up with her through most of her life. Even when she lived in Seoul and him in Chungju, they kept in contact.

When Taehyung wanted to move to Seoul Somin was the first to offer him a place. She’d moved out of her parent’s place at the age of eighteen and had a small apartment on the outskirts of Hongdae. Somin was currently a student.

Taehyung sighed as he walked past the estate agents. He wanted to have his own place, especially when Jiwoo had moved in with them. Taehyung was the first person Somin told about Jiwoo, and he felt privileged to be told something so important. 

Somin and Jiwoo were dating. And yes, they were both girls. Taehyung hadn’t been prejudiced or even batted an eyelash when Somin had come out to him. Of course, he was surprised at first, but this is what made Somin happy. If Jiwoo made Somin so happy that Taehyung was met with her smile every day, why would he ever oppose?

Moving out was his own decision. He hadn’t told Somin or Jiwoo about his plans, but they weren’t set in stone yet. Taehyung always felt like he was getting by with life cheaply. Splitting rent three ways always made it cheaper, but at the end of the day Taehyung still felt like the thorn in the girls’ side.

Somin and Jiwoo probably wanted to have their lovey life, well… they did that anyway, but Somin was always shy whenever Taehyung was in the same room as a flirting Jiwoo. Taehyung didn’t want Somin to be careful around him, and he was older than her. He shouldn’t depend on her apartment for his own gain.

Taehyung shoved his hands into his pockets. “What am I gonna do?” He mumbled to himself. He had started up a savings account for his housing fund, but he kept dipping into it. Apartments in Seoul weren’t the cheapest, and it was getting harder to keep track of the cheaper ones.

He’d have a look at more moving sites back at home. He loved Somin and Jiwoo, he really did, but he couldn’t depend on them forever. He was the older, he was their oppa. Taehyung shook his head, stretching his arms above his head.

“Maybe I should get a third job.” Taehyung was trying to figure out the best way to go about his plan. He worked in a bar in Hongdae called The Four Aces, and it was the main source of his income. His side job was working at the local 7/Eleven. Sure, they were minimum wage, but at least he got tips at the bar. Not by many though, students rarely tipped – it was mostly girls (or even guys) that took a fancy to him.

Taehyung usually got stressed over money, worrying that it would all just blow up in his face. Money and riches are irritating, and he knew that if he wanted to survive on his own that he needed to take his finances into thought.

“Tsk.” Taehyung clicked his tongue, already walking through the doors of The Four Aces.

“Taehyung, you’re late!” He heard his manager calling to him.

“S… Sorry!” Taehyung instantly ran to the back, pulling off his jacket as he did.

“I’ve warned you about being late before.” His manager popped his head around the corner. “Another minute and I would have docked your pay.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.” Taehyung bowed his head in apology. “It won’t happen again.”

“It better not.” His manager disappeared back towards the bar area.

Taehyung sighed again, hanging up his jacket on one of the available hooks. It was going to be a long eight hours, but it always was.

-

Another late night, and more overtime. Lately it had kept Jungmin from sleeping properly. He walked into the elevator, waiting for it to take him to the fifth floor. Just as the doors were about to close, an arm reached in to keep them open.

“Hey, Jungmin.” It was Inyeop, just what he needed in the morning. Now don’t get him wrong, Jungmin had entered the company at the same time as Inyeop and they were close, but he was too tired to talk right now.

Inyeop tilted his head, looking over the younger. “You don’t look so great, are you okay?”

“Fine.” Jungmin cleared his throat, opening his eyes a little wider so he didn’t look like he was about to just fall asleep there and then.

“Are you sure, you look kind of sick.” Inyeop was so observant, even in the early hours of the morning.

“I’m fine, Hyung.” Jungmin smiled a little trying to highlight his statement. “Just a little overtime last night.”

“Again?” Inyeop frowned. Thankfully the elevator arrived on the fifth floor, letting Jungmin step out of the confined space. The elder was quick to follow, since they worked in the same department.

Jungmin sat down at his desk, throwing his rucksack on top. He rummaged around inside for an A4 folder, needing to find his papers. Inyeop sat at the opposite side, at his own desk. They’d both been in this company for three years, and everyday still felt like they were rookies.

“Have you been eating properly?” Inyeop asked, trying his best to keep his tone casual.

“Of course.” Jungmin didn’t want to lie to the elder, but he didn’t have time to sugar coat the truth for him. He hadn’t had a decent meal in at least four days, but there was nothing he could do about it really. There was so much work that he had to get done.

Jungmin stood up from his desk, walking towards the manager's office. He needed to hand in the proposal that he’d spent the previous night on. This was the second time that he had to redo it, and the stress was slowly starting to eat away at him.

Jungmin knocked at the door of the office. “Come in.” Came the short answer afterwards. Jungmin let himself in the room, bowing his head as he did.

“Here is the proposal for Hwasan Jeongi.” Jungmin handed the paper to the manager, who started reading over the moment the paper was in his hand.

Jungmin was rather nervous about what the manager would say. After all, he’d already rewrote the paper twice before. The manager glanced up at Jungmin, seeing his dark eyes and pale complexion. He sighed, but Jungmin couldn’t tell if it was annoyance or relief.

“This is going to have to do for now.” The manager sighed again, “I’ll have Seungkyu polish this stone into diamond. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.” Jungmin bowed again before exiting the office. Giving his proposal to Seungkyu to polish just meant that Seungkyu would probably rewrite it himself. Seungkyu had been in the company for five years and was more experienced, he even helped Jungmin and Inyeop when they were training.

Jungmin flopped down into his chair, rubbing at his eyes. Inyeop noticed the younger’s reaction, so he thought it would be best not to talk about it. “Want some coffee?” Inyeop asked as he got up from his chair.

“Please…” Jungmin rested his head in his hands, holding back the groans of despair. Sometimes he just wanted to curl up and do nothing for days, but his bills wouldn’t have any of that malarkey.

Inyeop placed the mug down on Jungmin’s desk, watching the younger massage his temples. “You wanna get lunch later, I know this really nice Thai place.” He smiled at Jungmin, wanting him to feel less stressed.

“I’ve got so much I need to finish.” Jungmin lifted his head from his hands. “Thanks for the coffee, and if I’m free later I’ll go to lunch with you.” He tried to sound enthusiastic, but he just couldn’t feel it anymore.

-

“What was that last thing again?” Joon pulled out the grocery list from his back pocket. He’d been there for the past hour, getting all the ingredients for tonight. “Ah, carrots. Right.” He repocketed the list.

Joon got the rest of his needed ingredients. He’d been looking online for several types of recipes, and today he was gonna try one out. Hyeongkon likes meat, so Joon was going to make him a beef and mushroom hotpot. Hopefully he’d love it, but then again Hyeongkon has always loved everything that Joon has made.

Joon and Hyeongkon had been in a relationship just a little over a year. They had met in their university graduation party and kept talking ever since. Hyeongkon had claimed that he’d fallen in love with Joon’s cooking, and it made the elder happy. Joon liked Hyeongkon’s smile, so it felt nice to make him happy.

They lived at opposite sides of Seoul for their work, but Joon always made sure to go around. Hyeongkon was too busy most of the time to go to Joon’s home, but that was okay. Joon didn’t mind travelling if it meant spending time with Hyeongkon.

Joon paid for his items and bagged them up quickly. He wanted to be at home before the younger finished work, that way he could surprise him. Joon placed his bags into the boot of his car, before climbing into the driver’s seat. He started up his fiesta, pulling out of the supermarket parking area.

Joon had made it to Hyeongkon’s apartment in about fifteen minutes. He unloaded the car and entered the elevator, making his way to the third floor. He pulled out Hyeongkon’s key, ready for when he reached the room.

The door opened with ease and Joon let himself in. He kicked his shoes off before making his way towards the kitchenette. There was a faint smell of something sweet in the air, maybe… perfume?

Joon quickly shook his head, letting those thoughts escape him. There was no point in getting jealous over something that wasn’t real. Joon trusted in Hyeongkon, no matter what his suspicions were. Hyeongkon was nice and caring. That’s all that mattered.

Joon quickly started on his hotpot, cutting the vegetables while the water boiled. He made sure to get high ranked beef for this meal, so he was going to make it to the best of his abilities.

The sound of the door opening caught Joon’s attention. “Welcome home.” He called out in a loud enough voice. 

“Joonie, you’re here?” Hyeongkon appeared, loosening his tie as he looked over Joon. “What are you making?” He smiled.

“Hotpot.” Joon grinned back, placing the broth ingredients into the water first.

“Sounds great.” Hyeongkon yawned after his words. “I’m gonna go take a shower.” He stepped past Joon, towards the bathroom.

Joon flinched a little, smelling that sweet smell again. It was perfume, but he wouldn’t get petty. Hyeongkon worked in an office where there were women too, so it wasn’t abnormal for him to smell a little like perfume.

Jealousy was an ugly emotion, and Joon tried his best not to ever feel it. But, that was inevitable. Joon shook his head, concentrating back on the food. After Hyeongkon had emerged from the bathroom, Joon’s edible masterpiece was completed.

They sat down at Hyeongkon’s table, which was only big enough for the two of them. The hotpot was placed in the middle, and Joon even had a couple side dishes. “Thank you.” Hyeongkon smiled before tucking into the food.

“How is it?” Joon asked, eager to know.

“Delicious, as always.” Hyeongkon complimented, giving the elder an okay sign. Joon just laughed before helping himself to some of the meat.

They ate in silence, but Joon couldn’t help but notice Hyeongkon looking at his phone. He frowned, annoyed that the younger’s attention was elsewhere. “How was work today?” Joon asked, trying to get Hyeongkon’s attention.

“Same old, same old.” Hyeongkon shrugged, glancing away from his phone and towards Joon.

“What are you looking at?” Joon questioned, his frown still plastered to his face.

“Just someone from work.” Hyeongkon finally put his phone down at that, opting to get more food instead.

A woman? Joon held his tongue. Their views were a little different when it came to others knowing about them. Hyeongkon was against anyone knowing that they were dating, but Joon didn’t care who knew. Quite the opposite, he wanted to show his handsome and cute boyfriend off. But, they just seemed to agree to disagree.

-

Another dive, perfectly into the pool. Wenhan’s dives were always perfect, from the approach to entry. It was like watching a bird soar, but even more graceful with the water glittering around him. Ever since Wenhan can remember he’d always loved swimming, it was the one thing that gave him that rush.

Wenhan’s parents had taken him to the pool when he was a small child, and he instantly fell in love with the water. Back in Hangzhou Wenhan had been training hard, until he started getting older.

Wenhan loved his hometown, but he wanted to try something new. He’d looked at university courses and he didn’t even limit himself to China. No, Wenhan looked out even further until he found a course that he really liked the sound of.

There was a sporting course at a university in South Korea and Wenhan had never wanted anything more in his life. And now here he was, two years later. Not only did Wenhan learn Korean faster than most foreigners on his side language course, he’d also found a blessing.

Sagwanamu University had a very large Chinese population, so even some of the lectures were specifically in Chinese. But, that wasn’t the main issue for Wenhan. As much as he wanted a change, albeit a course or country, there was always the one thing that mattered. Swimming.

Thankfully Sagawanamu University had so much more to offer than just courses. Much to Wenhan’s happiness, there was a swimming club. Of course, Wenhan didn’t hesitate to join – no matter who else was on the team, Wenhan didn’t care if he could keep swimming to his potential.

There weren’t many on the swim team, only four (including Wenhan) but they were all extremely nice. Wenhan had felt right at home straight away, and not only because Yixuan and Yibo were also Chinese; heck, even Seungyeon spoke great Chinese. No, it was because of the coach.

Han Geng was such an amazing man. He was kind and handsome, and he gave each member of the club a complete overview. He’d even speak to them in Korean sometimes to keep them on their toes – Seungyeon would always laugh when Yixuan got even a single word wrong.

Wenhan emerged from the water, finishing his third lap. He shook his head slightly, before pushing his wet hair back with his hand.

“Planning a new record, are we?” Han Geng was crouched down by the edge of the pool, smiling down at the young talent.

“I just like to improve myself.” Wenhan smiled back, like Han Geng’s was contagious.

“Well, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard.” Han Geng stood back up straight, stretching his back out as he did. “You might exhaust yourself. Don’t want you getting injured.” He held his hand out, waiting for Wenhan to take it.

Wenhan chuckled, grasping firmly onto Han Geng’s hand. He was pulled out of the water easily, but still calmly and carefully. Han Geng would never risk an injury to one of the members, even if that meant yanking them out of the pool too fast.

Wenhan made his way over to his towel, picking it up and slinging it around his shoulders. He’d need to shave off a few more seconds if he really wanted to make an impression.

“Hey, hyung!” Seungyeon called out, catching Wenhan’s attention. In China ages didn’t really require the respectful terms like in Korea but having Seungyeon use them with them anyway helped them with their Korean lifestyles.

“What’s wrong, Seungyeon?” Wenhan turned to the younger, smiling at him.

“Can you just help me move the towels?” Seungyeon was looking at him with big puppy eyes, the ones Wenhan could never say no too – not that he would anyway.

“Sure, sure.” Wenhan threw his own towel back on the bench. “But when we come back we’re having a race to see how much you’ve improved.”

“Against you?” Seungyeon looked shocked at the very idea. “Hyung, I couldn’t win against you even if I was part dolphin.”

Wenhan laughed at that but was making his way back to the changing rooms anyway. Seungyeon ran after him. “Thanks for helping, hyung.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Wenhan was happy to help his friends out, no matter what the problem. He’d never just sit back and let them struggle, he’d lend a helping hand to anyone that’s just the kind of person that he was.

“My saviour~!” Seungyeon sang, before skipping past the elder and towards the towel basket. Wenhan just laughed again. He shook his head at the younger's behaviour, but he still smiled through it all.

-

Getting a PhD is no joke. 8 years of pure studying and determination. Kikwang was in his 6th year, almost at the end. Bachelor, Masters, and now further study. It didn’t seem like studying was going to end, but Kikwang wanted his medical degree to be the best he could get. 4 years of bachelor, 1 year of masters, and now another 3 years of PhD, and lastly an extra year in industry.

Kikwang wanted to be a doctor. It was his dream to help others, and he would go to great lengths to do it. He even did his military service straight out of high school; nothing would stop him from getting the best of the best.

There had been a lot of sacrifices too. Unfortunately, since Kikwang kept his doctor dream at the head of everything he did, he neglected other things in life. Kikwang hadn’t had a girlfriend for a while now, maybe 2 years. He was known as the book nerd of the entire medical faculty, just on the fact that he didn’t have much of a social life. He even lived on his own in a small apartment.

Kikwang sighed, leaning back on one of the sofas in the rest area. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to hold back the yawn that was trying to escape. He was currently in the university hospital, just finished witnessing a 3-hour surgery from afar. Kikwang had taken plenty of notes while some students cringed at the gory sights. 

“Hey, Kikwang-hyung!” Dongwoon, a fellow student, called out. Kikwang looked towards the younger. He was striving to be a paediatrician, just one year behind Kikwang.

“Hey, Dongwoon. Did you have a practical too?” Kikwang smiled at the younger, feeling his eyes lid from tiredness.

“Yeah, it was only visiting the kids today.” Dongwoon sat down beside the elder, leaning his head towards him. “You okay? You seem really tired.”

“I am.” Kikwang chuckled at the obvious. He’d finished a thesis the night before and he had a 2-hour lecture at 8am, and the surgery was at 11am. It was now 2pm.

“Have you even had lunch?” Dongwoon asked with concern.

“I’m just about to go now,” Kikwang got to his feet, followed by the younger. Dongwoon was so much taller than Kikwang, it was so unfair. Tall, handsome and wanted to be a paediatrician, aka, loved children. The man was a dream. While Kikwang was small and too education driven.

“Let’s go to this new sushi place, it's called Shabushi.” Dongwoon was continuing to talk as he walked beside Kikwang.

As soon as they got a table, Dongwoon started up talking once again. “There’s gonna be a night out with the entire medical faculty.” He leaned on his hands, propped up on his shoulders.

“Is this another group date thing?” Kikwang sighed as he dug into his butadon.

“No, no! Nothing like that.” Dongwoon already sounded suspicious. “It’s just drinking amongst students, right?”

“I don’t know, you tell me?” Kikwang looked up at the younger.

“Just drinking, just drinking.” Dongwoon grinned, starting on his katsudon bowl.

“Hyunseung is going, isn’t he?” Kikwang asked in such a casual tone, it made Dongwoon choke.

“What, no!” Dongwoon’s face was already turning pink. Kikwang rolled his eyes but chuckled at the younger. Hyunseung was one of the nurses that worked at the university hospital, and Dongwoon had a soft spot for him.

“Yeah sure.” Kikwang laughed again.

“But, seriously. Don’t you want someone to share your time with?” Dongwoon had round eyes as he spoke. “Someone to love?”

Kikwang just stared at the younger, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose after a few seconds. “It's not my top priority.” He went back to his pork, standing by his own words. Once he was an established doctor, he would find someone to share his life with. There was no point going before, since his ex-girlfriends left him due to his dedication to his work.

Dongwoon sighed, shaking his head a little at the elder’s words, but he didn’t have a comeback. It was quite inspirational how Kikwang was so dedicated, he was even top of his class.

“Don’t you ever get… lonely?” Dongwoon whispered, but Kikwang had heard the words like they were shouted in his ear.

Kikwang smiled sadly, but he would never admit to something like that. “I’m not lonely. I’m fine with how my life is right now.” And he meant that. Sure, it would be nice to have a cute girlfriend waiting for him at home, but he’d just neglect her.

As much as Kikwang wanting to shower someone with his affections, it wasn’t important to him. He’d find a girlfriend after he was stable in his life. Neglecting a loved one was something he couldn’t tolerate, but he couldn’t lose his focus in his studies.

“I guess I’ll just let time tell.” Kikwang smiled a happier smile this time around. Dongwoon smiled back, but he was still a little worried for his friend.

-  
Headphones on with Marilyn Manson’s ‘Fight Song’ playing loudly into his ears. Wearing an oversized black hoodie with the hood up and old black jeans that couldn’t really be considered black anymore, basically grey now. Hands stuffed into his hoodie pockets, Minsu kept his head down as he walked down the street.

The wind was quite cold, but Minsu just ignored it. He only had a thin top under his hoodie, so he wasn’t exactly warm. He shifted his rucksack up his back, feeling the strap slip down his shoulder. It would take about another 20 minutes to reach his apartment.

Minsu’s music was interrupted by an incoming call, since he was listening from his phone. Minsu reluctantly pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking over the caller ID. The name said ‘Kitaek’, making Minsu sigh. He couldn’t ignore this time, considering it was the fifth time since he’d set off from his lecture.

“Yeoboseyo?” He didn’t sound very happy, but he was mostly tired.

“Hyung! You answered!”

“You seem surprised.” Minsu chuckled a little, speaking quietly into his phone, hearing his brother’s voice in his headphones.

“You never seem to pick up, this is a surprise!” Kitaek chuckled on the other end thankfully. There was no way he could scold Minsu, the elder never seemed to care either way.

“What have you called for?” Minsu got straight to the point. “Did you need something from me, or...?”

“Can’t I just call and see if you’re okay?” Kitaek asked seriously. Minsu could visualise him pouting on the other end of the phone.

“Hyung is fine, there is no reason for you to worry about me.” Minsu’s tone dropped from almost playful to a sigh.

“Of course, I worry! You sound exhausted.” Kitaek could always pick up these trivial details, even over a phone conversation.

“I am tired,” Minsu clarified. There was no point in denying it anyway. “I’m gonna go home and sleep.”

“How was university?” Kitaek pulled another question. Minsu rolled his eyes; he’d hoped that his sleeping excuse would get the younger to hang up.

“Same as always.” Minsu didn’t want to go into great detail. Kitaek didn’t need to know about how he sat on the back row of the lecture hall by himself, avoiding the stares from people itching for a fight. Small and skinny, Minsu was a perfect target for those people.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” What did Kitaek have, some sort of sixth sense?

“I told you to stop worrying.” Minsu couldn’t think of anything worse than letting his little brother continue to worry and look out for him.

“Okay, hyung.” Kitaek sounded a little down, but he didn’t want to push Minsu.

“I promise I’ll talk later.” Minsu wasn’t in the mood to have a heartfelt conversation with Kitaek now.

“Sure. Please look after yourself, hyung.” Minsu could hear the sadness in Kitaek’s voice.

“Bye, Kitaek.” Minsu ended the call, another sigh escaping. ‘Leave Out All The Rest’ by Linkin Park flooded into his ears, catching him off guard. He repocketed his phone, quickening his pace.

Thankful the Sonic dance studio wasn’t that far, he could even see it. There were plenty of dance studios in Seoul, even ones closer to Minsu’s university but there was only one J-Heart. Jaehwan was one of the only people outside his family that Minsu redeemed as trustworthy. When Minsu first started university, Jaehwan was the one that helped him out the most.

Minsu had unfortunately gotten kicked out of his student accommodation for knocking a guy unconscious. Granted no one listened to his side of the story, so naturally Minsu was blamed for the whole thing and had to take responsibility. He’d have lost his position on his course too if his parents hadn’t vouched for him, basically begging the Dean to keep him on. 

Jaehwan had overheard the predicament in passing, since nothing gets hidden around this place. Minsu was offered to live in the small room above the Sonic dance studio; Jaehwan would rent him the room for an unbelievably cheap set up if Minsu helped about the studio now and then.

It was almost like a dream, and of course Minsu was sceptical at first. He’d moved back home, but the commute to university every day was taxing on his money, what with the subway and buses. Sometimes if he stayed late he’d have to get a taxi, though his father insisted on picking him up.

Eventually Minsu took up Jaehwan’s offer. Sonic dance studio was still a good 40-minute walk from the university, but at least he didn’t have to get the subway. Jaehwan had even told him about the bus times of the closest buses. If Minsu was ever late, or plain lazy, the number 2204 would get him closest to his university.

“Hey, Minsu.” Jaehwan greeted as soon as Minsu walked through the door.

“Hey.” He bowed his head in greeting. Jaehwan was just finishing packing away, since it was long past closing he must have been doing his own dancing.

“The studio's first booking is at 10am tomorrow, will you be in?” Jaehwan questioned, slinging his sports bag onto his shoulder.

“My lecture started at 11am tomorrow, so I guess… for 20 minutes or so.” Minsu stepped further into the small studio. Sonic dance was only a small building, the front door leading straight into the only dance hall. It wasn’t so much a hall, more than just an average sized room. There was only a small bedroom and bathroom on the top floor, which Jaehwan had said belonged to Minsu now.

“Can you do me a favour and just open up tomorrow?” Jaehwan smiled; he was a beauty for a man.

“Open up?”

“Yeah, at like 9am, or basically before 10.” Jaehwan had made his way towards the front doors. “Just give the place a quick sweep so it looks presentable, please? I’ll be in just after 10.”

“Sure, I think I can handle that much.” Minsu smiled.

“Thanks, you’re an angel.” Jaehwan pulled Minsu into a side hug, squeezing his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, I’ll lock up from outside.” And with that he left. Jaehwan probably lived in a nice apartment somewhere, it was almost weird how much he’d trusted Minsu to live in his building without knowing much about him at the beginning.

Minsu hit the light switch for the studio, the only light now coming from the top of the staircase. He made his way up the stairs, which weren’t hidden from the studio, but no one was allowed up there. Minsu made it to the tiny landing, where only two doors were present. He left through the right leading to his bedroom, straight opposite the stairs was the bathroom.

Minsu’s bedroom was bigger than an average room, but it could be just for the minimal stuff in there. There was a single bed, a desk and chair, wardrobe and a small footless sofa. Minsu flung his bag onto the sofa before effortlessly falling onto the bed. He threw an arm over his eyes, a deep sigh escaping him.

Minsu turned to his side, looking out the only window in the room. The curtains were still open, showing the night sky outside. There were plenty of lights from the city, but they weren’t as blinding from this far out. Minsu closed his eyes, thinking over his life choices, and possibly the future. It was a scary subject, but sometimes he had to think about it.


	2. II

One may think that chosen by Lucifer means to be showered with the gifts of sin. On the contrary, it came with a lot of responsibility and isolation. 

There are seven sins that defy God. The first sin is Pride, and it was Lucifer’s job to find him. The sin of Pride defines the rest, and so he was chosen careful from time. 

Jo Wonjun. 

He lifted his head from where he was looking down at his feet. His hands were interlocked as he sat upon the throne in his room. 

The room wasn’t a particularly large room, but this was his only space. Wonjun stood up from his throne, walking towards the door to his prison. 

The door was eight foot high and three foot wide. There was a large window in the centre, leading out into the dark corridor. The other six doors were all facing each other, while his door was at the end of the corridor. 

The sin of Pride got the head of the corridor. Wonjun raised an eyebrow as he looked out through the unbreakable glass. There was a torch between each of the other doors, the only light in their darkness. 

Wonjun smirked, turning back away from the window. He was the first. The first sin. Lucifer has chosen him, then entrusted him to find the other sins. 

There was no reasoning behind Lucifer’s actions, he wanted to reincarnate the sins as human but he needed the appropriate hosts. 

It didn’t take long to find the next appropriate host. From the same time period, from his own family. Wonjun had found the sin of Lust in his cousin. 

Yoon Doojoon. 

The sin of Lust was the first door to the left of Pride. Doojoon was lying on his bed, hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. 

They were mostly locked inside these rooms, redeemed by Hell’s Demons as Lucifer’s precious collection. Doojoon was the second sin to be approved by the Devil himself. 

It took another century before Wonjun had found another redeeming sin host. The next sin to be found was none other than Gluttony. 

Lee Yohan. 

The sin of Gluttony spent everyday doing as his sin suggested, eating. Yohan was currently sitting on his room’s floor, apple in hand as he ate. 

Contrary to his sin, Yohan was definitely the thinnest of the sins. Lucifer approved almost immediately due to irony in Wonjun's opinion. 

His room was next door to Doojoon’s - unfortunately for him. Yohan would have preferred not to be near the sin of Lust, but there was nothing any of them could say. 

Only a few decades on and Wonjun had found the perfect host for the sin of Envy. A very peculiar host to find, but he matched well. 

Yang Seungho. 

The sin of Envy’s room was located opposite the sin of Lust. Seungho sat at his desk, reading whatever book he had today. 

The Seungho preferred to keep to himself, away from the other sins. Not that the rest of them interacted, being Lucifer’s collectibles meant restriction. 

Almost half a century later and the next host appeared. The sin of Wrath was the easiest for Wonjun to choose. 

Bang Yongguk. 

The first time he saw him, he knew that the rage he held was the perfect host. Wonjun referred him to Lucifer straight away, who was impressed. 

The sin of Wrath was opposite Gluttony. His window was the only one with an actual crack. Yongguk was pacing around his room like a wild beast. 

It wasn’t rare for him to destroy his rooms ‘props’. Lucifer didn’t care and found the whole thing amusing, just giving him more stuff to take his anger out on. 

It wasn’t even a decade later when the next sin host came along. The sin of Greed was found and easily approved by the Devil. 

Matthew Kim. 

Greed was in the room next to Wrath. Fortunately, Matthew didn’t ever care for the sounds of destruction next door. His room was showered in gold, and he kept every speck in its place. 

Matthew would get restless from time to time, wanting more riches. Lucifer laughed at the host, sometimes giving him more, sometimes taking it all away to mess with him. 

The sin of Sloth was the only one left. But of course Wonjun would never give up or disappoint, finding the perfect host just a little over a decade after Greed. 

Kim Sungjoo. 

Sloth’s room was opposite Greed at the other end of the corridor. Sungjoo spent everyday laying around and sleeping, just as his sin would insist. 

He was the youngest out of all the sin hosts, not that age meant anything to them. Time flows differently in the underworld; they didn’t age. They didn’t die. 

The seven of them were Lucifer’s, now and forever. They were imprisoned in what could only be worse than purgatory. The only sin allowed out of his room often was Wonjun, since he’d spent centuries completing Lucifer’s collection. 

Because of this Jo Wonjun, the sin of Pride, was despised and loathed by the others. He’d brought them to the underworld and they were trapped by their sins. 

Upon arrival into the underworld, Lucifer had gifted them each a pendant. This pendant was different to each sin, and also contained their true soul, their human soul. Lucifer had gifted them with the pendant, a devilish smirk on his face when they were each handed over.

“Destroy the pendant and destroy yourself.” Was the only world the Devil had spoken to each. The sins wore their pendants like a brooch, never wanting to be apart from what was basically their soul. 

Lucifer would allow them out of their rooms now and then, whether it was a week or a decade they had to wait. More than once the other sins - mostly Wrath - had tried to take their hate out on Wonjun. 

Of course it never succeeded. The Devil would always laugh, knowing that even if there was damage there could never be total destruction. 

Wonjun looked around the room. Being the sin of Pride meant that he had more trust and freedom than the other sins. And also the bigger living space - but like the rest, he too was only a displayed item. 

“Ah, Superbia-nim.” The familiar voice of Lucifer’s messenger sounded. 

“Taewoon-ssi.” Wonjun’s smirk never left as he walked back towards the window of his room. “What do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Saesbyeol wants me to pass this message on,” Taewoon grinned. For a Hell’s Demon he was always weirdly cheerful. “Only true loyalty will stand.” 

Wonjun raised an eyebrow, looking completely unimpressed. “And what is that supposed to mean?” 

“I don’t ask for the explanation.” Taewoon scoffed, “you think I want to be tortured for centuries?” He crossed his arms. 

Wonjun chuckled. The hell’s demons were not allowed in the Seven Sins wing, only Taewoon the messenger was allowed. With permission of course. 

“Is he playing with me?” Wonjun held back his laugh, before turning around and leaning his back against the window. 

Taewoon rolled his eyes, glad that Pride wasn’t looking. Wonjun was, after all, Lucifer’s favourite. Taewoon didn’t want to risk his life after all. 

“Whatever,” Taewoon sighed, “I also have your food for this evening.” He opened the little hatch under the window on the door, placing a plate and sliding through. 

Wonjun looked down at the food, his back hair with one dark blue streak falling in his eyes. “Thank you, Taewoon-ssi.” He smirked again, grabbing the plate before walking away. 

Taewoon sighed, making his way towards the next door. The seven doors in the corridor were all thick grey hatch doors, it really did look like a prison. The only hint of colour was the wording carved into each door. 

Taewoon went to the next door, “Invidia-nim, I have your food.” He tapped on the glass, looking into the dark room. “Invidia-nim?” 

“Why does he feel the need to feed us?” Seungho stepped up to the window. His black hair was styled up today, the dark green streak almost hidden. 

“You still need energy, right?” Taewoon opened the hatch, sliding the plate through. 

Seungho glanced down, his eyes narrowed. “I want to be free.” He didn’t even know how long he’d been in hell, time was different here. Very different. 

“I know you do, but there’s nothing you can do about it.” Taewoon sighed. 

Seungho’s eyes narrowed, his iris turning green. “You’re free, and yet you tell me not to complain.” 

“Hey, Envy-ah!” Doojoon’s voice sounded from the opposite side of the corridor. “Your green monster is showing!” 

Seungho rolled his eyes, grabbing the plate and turning away. He frowned, closing his eyes and willing himself to calm down. 

Taewoon went to Lust next, since Doojoon was already at the window. “Luxuria-nim, you shouldn’t stir Invidia-nim up like that.” 

“Come on!” Doojoon scoffed. “What else am I supposed to do all day! It’s boring.” He leaned his head against the glass, the dark pink streak in his black hair prominent. 

“I understand.” Taewoon nodded, trying to relate. 

“Haha! Fuck if you understand.” Doojoon chuckled, before standing straight and holding out his hand. “Food?” 

“Ah yes.” Taewoon opened the hatch, sliding in the food. “Enjoy, Luxuria-nim.” 

“Gotta enjoy something, right?” Doojoon stormed away with his plate. 

Taewoon sighed, going to the next room. “Gula-nim, I have your food.” He didn’t even need to tap on the glass, as soon as the words left his mouth Yohan was there. 

“Thank god, I’m starving!” Yohan placed his hand on the glass, eyes fixated on the plate. His black hair had a streak of dark orange, and completely fluffy. 

“You’re always starving.” Yongguk’s voice sounded from the opposite side of the corridor. More a growl than an actual voice. 

“It’s my sin, okay!” Yohan shouted through his door. “Stick to your own.” 

“You want me to stick to my own?” Yongguk huffed, “you serious?” His black hair was mostly in his eyes, though sometimes he slicked it back. Today was one of those days, black slicked back hair with a dark red streak. 

“Ira-nim, please don’t.” Taewoon quickly opened the hatch to Yohan’s door, passing two plates through. He quickly jogged to the opposite door, where Yongguk was standing. 

Wrath was a more dangerous sin, and Yongguk fit the bill. Most items in his room were broken. Taewoon could see that Yongguk’s fists were clenched and his eyes fading red. 

“Ah, just take a deep breath, Ira-nim.” Taewoon nodded his head, smiling a little. He was trying his best to calm down the sin of Wrath. 

Yongguk slammed a fist into the glass on his door, making Taewoon jump a little. “Okay, okay.” Taewoon slowly opened the hatch, almost like Yongguk would bite. 

The sin of Wrath breathed deeply as he looked down at the food sliding in. Taewoon stepped back, not wanting to get hurt. It had definitely happened more than once. 

Taewoon quickly moved on, not wanting to see the ending. Greed was next, “Avaritia-nim, your food is here.”   
5h  
“Thank you.” Matthew stood up, just twirling a gold coin in his fingers. The hatch opened and the food was passed through. 

Matthew raked a hand through his black hair, agitating the streak of dark yellow. He smiled at Taewoon before turning around and walking back towards his mountain of gold coins. Looks like Lucifer was giving Greed what he wanted today. 

Taewoon was thankful that not all the sins were mean, feared. On the contrary Matthew, Yohan and Sungjoo didn’t fight as much as the other four. 

Speaking of Sungjoo, he was the last to receive his meal. Taewoon walked over to the last door, knocking on the glass. 

“Acedia-nim, your food.” Taewoon looked into the room, only to see the youngest of the sins. 

Sungjoo was sleeping, as per usual. He was on a hammock, just lightly snoring. He went through most of the days like this, just sleeping away his eternal life. 

Black bed hair was prominent, the dark purple streak lost within the bush. Sungjoo just groaned, turning onto his other side. He’d come and get his food when he awoke, since trying to wake the sin of Sloth was a pointless task. 

Taewoon just smiled, opening the hatch and placed the plate on through. He’d fulfilled his duties for the day, and so he could now leave the sins to their own. 

Taewoon sighed as he exited the corridor, the giant bolted door slamming behind him. Lucifer really kept the Sins locked away and hidden. Only a few Hell’s Demons had actually seen the human sins before. They needed a special pass from the Devil himself to see them. 

Every single day played out the same; the only Demon they would see would be Taewoon. He was their only access to the outside of their prison. Even when Lucifer would let them out, they would only be allowed where he placed them, away from the sights of regular low class demons. 

After some time passed, Taewoon had reentered the corridor. He walked straight down towards the end. The other sins all stepped up to their windows, wondering what was going on. Although there wasn't a flow of time, the feeling of routine was always there. 

It was abnormal for Taewoon to be here at this time. 

“Superbia-nim.” Taewoon called out as soon as he came to the sin of Pride’s door. Wonjun appeared at the door only a second later, his expression unimpressed. 

“What?” Wonjun asked, an eyebrow raised at the demon.

“Saesbyeol would like to see you.” Taewoon answered, suddenly pulling a heptagon shaped bow on a key. He turned the heptagon bow, the shoulder to tip turning dark blue.

Taewoon placed the key into the Pride lock, the sound clicking. Wonjun tilted his head, eyes watching Taewoon unlock his cell. 

“Are you fucking serious!” Yongguk shouted, both fists slamming onto the glass. “Why is he the only one that’s allowed out, huh!? I can’t take it anymore!” 

The sound of a heavy thud sounded as Yongguk kicked the door. He suddenly started throwing things at the door, trying his best to break his door down. 

“Give it up, Wrath.” Doojoon scoffed, leaning against his own door. “Of course the sin of Pride will be let out.” 

“Funny,” Wonjun laughed, stepping out into the corridor. He straightened his dark blue military coat, before looking directly at Doojoon, “I didn't think that you were Envy, Doojoon.” 

“Shut up! Do not compare me to him!” Doojoon snapped, slamming his hand into the glass. Wonjun just chuckled, his eyes turning towards Seungho’s door. 

The elder was just glaring, the green glint in his eyes obvious. Wonjun smirked; Seungho didn’t say much but his jealousy was almost always obvious. 

“This way Superbia-nim.” Taewoon led the sin back down the corridor. Wonjun followed the demon, ignoring the hateful glares sent to him by the others. 

Taewoon led Wonjun through the corridors that he’s walked down only a few times before. Through the windows was nothing but a fiery wasteland, the vision of hell. 

“What does Saesbyeol want with me now?” Wonjun wouldn’t deny that as the sin of Pride he was given a lot more than the other sins, but it meant that he had a lot more responsibility. Lucifer would only talk to Wonjun directly. If he wanted to talk to the sins, he’d speak through Wonjun most of the time. 

“He didn’t say, he just requested you by name.” Taewoon turned his head a little, glancing back at the sin. 

Wonjun frowned, trying to think through all the reasons why the Devil would want to see him. Taewoon stopped right in front of Lucifer’s ‘office’. There were 8 foot double doors, carvings of flames and corpses. 

Taewoon knocked on the door, slowly poking his head in, “Saesbyeol seogsa, I have brought Superbia.” 

“Fantastic.” Lucifer’s voice always sent a chill throughout anyone who was listening. It was bone chilling; a growl that was more feral than the crack of thunder. “Send him in.” 

Taewoon turned back to Wonjun, gesturing to the door. Wonjun took a deep breath, stepping into the office, the demon staying outside. The doors slammed shut behind, leaving Wonjun in the office alone with the Devil. 

“Yes, can I help you, Saesbyeol-nim.” Wonjun stood with his hands behind his back, back straight and posture perfect. There was nothing more nerve wracking than talking to Lucifer himself, it always raised the question: can you die twice? 

“Ah, Superbia, Jo Wonjun, my Pride.” Lucifer was never seen really, only a black cloak that covered his eyes. His fanged mouth always wore a smirk, taunting and wicked.

The office was large and dark, black drapes located behind the desk. There was a large cauldron at one side of the room, Wonjun had seen it before. Inside was a thick yet transparent liquid. The liquid could show planet Earth and what the humans were doing.

The other side of the room had an archway, encrusted with multicolored gems and some bone. The archway was a portal to Earth, back to the living. It was how Wonjun had first arrived, how he went back to Earth to find the others, and how they came to Earth.

Lucifer was sitting at the desk, hands folded. Wonjun tried his best to calm his heart rate, there was nothing worse than showing fear in front of the Devil. He probably already knew that Wonjun was crumbling a little through his demeanor. 

Lucifer chuckled, “I’ve become bored. I want my sins to be more entertaining. So, what do you think?” 

“What is the problem with us?” Wonjun asked but kept his voice unchallenging. “Is there a sin in particular you’re not happy with? If you want I coul-”

“No, no. My sins are all perfect. I wouldn’t have approved when you brought them if I didn’t think they were perfect.” Lucifer chuckled, his smirk growing wider. “I’m thinking about an idea, but I don’t want to tell you what it is. It’ll spoil my fun.”

“So you brought me here to gloat?” Wonjun couldn’t hold back his sigh, after all this had happened before. 

“I want to test human souls, and even more.” Lucifer carried on. “You will understand. I’ve observed my seven sins for centuries and I know what it is that each of you want, and I’ve come to my conclusion.” 

Wonjun nodded, but he still didn't understand what the Devil was talking about. He never did. Lucifer chuckled darkly again. “I’ll let you return them to me when the time is right, savvy?” 

“Uh… Of course.” Wonjun didn’t know what that meant, but it sounded like that he would find out soon enough. 

“Good.” Lucifer nodded, almost like he’d won. “I look forward to it.” He glanced towards the cauldron, then to the archway. He ended by staring back at Wonjun, watching his expressionless demeanour.   
“You can go back now, Superbia.” The Devil waved his hand. “I shall see you soon enough.”

Wonjun bowed his head, before leaving the office. He sighed, after the doors closed. He leaned against them, looking up at the ceiling. What the hell was all that about anyway? 

Taewoon was still standing outside, waiting for the sin. “Everything okay, Superbia-nim?” 

“Fine.” Wonjun answered quickly, pushing away from the door and walking back down the corridor. Taewoon followed after the sin, making sure that he wasn’t unsupervised. 

Once Wonjun was back in his room, he just sat down on his bed. “What was all that about?” He rhetorically asked no one, looking down at his feet. He leaned back on his palms, thinking over Lucifer’s words.

Time went by fast, the odd bickering of the sins echoing through the corridor. Wonjun ignored them all, resulting in going to bed. He laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

It turned silent in the corridor, indicating that all of the sins had gone to bed. Wonjun closed his eyes, wanting to catch up on some rest. They didn’t really need to sleep all that much, but in seriousness, they were still human. Kind of.

The sound of a sudden lock startled Matthew awake first. He sat up in his dark room - since the lighting in their rooms were set for when they should sleep. 

Matthew sat up in his bed, eyes darting around. The sound of the lock got louder, until the sound of his door opening slightly sounded. The sin of Greed got up from his bed, walking towards his door. He gently touched the door, pushing at the mental. 

“What the…” Matthew gasped, his door opening with a creak. His door was open. 

The lock sounds sounded another six times, only meaning one thing. Matthew stepped out into the corridor, seeing that the other doors were ajar. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding…” Matthew had nearly laughed. He was free. 

“What’s happening?” Sungjoo appeared, pushing his door open. “The… the door is open…?” His eyes widened, almost in shock. 

Yongguk appeared next, eyes narrowed as he looked around. “The door is open.”

Yohan stepped out next, half eaten apple in hand. “What’s Saesbyeol playing at now?” 

“I don’t know but it's something else.” Seungho walked over towards the younger sins, looking around the corridor. 

“He’s letting us out, huh?” Doojoon yawned, ruffling his hair. “No matter what we do there’s a catch, right?” 

“Superbia will know.” Yohan said, making them all look towards the head of the corridor. Wonjun hadn’t appeared yet. 

The sound of a creaking door brought them back to the entrance to the corridor. Sungjoo had opened the door, leading to the rest of whatever building they lived in. “It's… open.” 

“Does this mean, we’re free?” Matthew asked, turning to Sungjo with a confused face. 

Doojoon strolled towards the exit, throwing the doors wide open. He started laughing suddenly, making the others look at each other in confusion. 

“What’s so funny?” Yongguk growled. 

“Bitch, we can escape!” Doojoon turned to the younger. Yongguk took a step forward, ready to pounce on Doojoon when Seungho grabbed his arm.

“Escape to where?” Seungho challenged, eyes watching the sin of Lust with skepticism. 

“To Earth you bastard, where else!” Doojoon seemed excited now. 

“You know how?” Sungjoo questioned, eyes searching. 

“Your memory sucks, doesn’t it kid?” Doojoon scoffed. 

“Saesbyeol’s Archway.” Seungho answered, getting an eyebrow wiggle from Doojoon. 

“You want to break into Saesbyeol’s office? You’re insane.” Yongguk criticised, eyes rolling at the elder. 

“You don’t have to come, but I’m getting out of this prison.” Doojoon turned towards the exit. He quickly ran, not wanting to miss this chance. 

“Hey!” Sungjoo shouted after him, “wait for me!” He ran after the sin of Lust. Matthew and Yohan quickly followed after. This could be their only chance. 

Yongguk and Seungho looked at each other, but no words were spoken. “What have we got to lose?” Seungho shrugged, following after the others. If this was the end for them, when Lucifer found them, centuries of life had to come to an end some time. 

Wonjun suddenly opened his door, only to see Yongguk staring back. “What the fuck is going on?” 

Yongguk rolled his eyes before turning and running after the others. Wonjun growled, tightening his hands into fists. He instantly stormed after the younger, not letting them get away. 

Doojoon remembered the way towards Lucifer’s office, since he’d been there before. He quickly got to the doors, but instantly stopped at the doors. There was a spike of fear, just from being outside of Lucifer’s office. 

“Is it locked?” Sungjoo asked, catching up to the elder sin easily. 

“Uh,” Doojoon placed his hand on the door, easily pushing it open. “No. No it’s not. It is open.” 

“Let's go already.” Matthew gasped as he and Yohan caught up, Seungho not too far behind them. 

The five of them made their way into Lucifer's office; thankfully the Devil wasn’t present. “There’s the arch.” Doojoon pointed out, already making his way towards the said gateway.

“Does it really work?” Yohan asked, looking up at the markings. 

“Of course it does,” Seungho answered, “did you forget that it brought us here?” 

“Oh yeah…” Yohan scratched his head, he wasn’t really paying all that much attention to Seungho anyway. 

Yongguk slammed through the doors, stopping in the doorway. “Wonjun is coming too, just so you’re all aware.” He casually inserted into conversation as he walked up to the archway. 

Before the others could really react, Wonjun burst through the doors. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” He stormed towards the other sins, his eyes determined. 

Matthew stepped behind Sungjoo, although he was a lot bigger and taller than Sungjoo, he still felt as though he needed a shield. The other sins derived from Pride, so technically that made Wonjun the strongest sin of them all. 

“We’re getting out of here!” Doojoon shot back. 

“You can’t just-” Wonjun was cut off by the sound of the office doors slamming shut. The room was bathed in complete darkness; breathing was the only sound present. 

That was, until the portal archway started glowing, the gems surrounding it lighting up. There was a small vortex appearing in the centre of the archway, growing and growing until it overtook the entire surface area of the arch. 

“What is this…?” Seungho spoke, though none of the other sins could see him. 

The portal began to fill the room with a cold chill, followed by a wind current. The wind was pulling them all towards the archway like a hurricane, getting stronger by the second. 

“It's pulling us in!” Sungjoo tried to reach out for something to grab onto, but there was nothing. 

“Shit!” Yongguk growled, feeling the force of the suction actually move him. 

Wonjun was trying his best to think of a solution to stop this. If he could make it back to the door and out, he’d round the others up later. 

It didn't take long for the portal to pull in one of them, which happened to be Doojoon. “Fuck! Arhg!” The sin cried out as he pulled forcefully through the portal. 

Yohan was sucked in after, since they were the two that stood closest to the archway. Sungjoo and Matthew were next, followed almost instantly by Seungho and Yongguk. The sounds of their screams and shouts fading away with them. 

Wonjun was still trying to fight back, albeit futile. He felt the cold of the vortex on his fingers as he touched the archway. “Shit!” He pulled back, but was inevitably sucked in like the rest of them. 

Being sucked through the portal felt like being thrown about in a washing machine, turning and churning every couple of seconds. It didn’t stop until the sensation of falling kicked in, but it wasn’t just a sensation. 

The Seven Sins were literally falling out of the sky, thousands of feet up. Wonjun couldn’t even see through the force of wind in his face, or even hear. But, the falling didn’t last long. 

Each of the Sin pendants started to glow, teleporting each sins vessel into it. Instead of 7 men falling from the sky, it was now visibly 7 pendants hurtling towards Earth. 

Lucifer looked into his cauldron, watching the pendants fall to Earth. “Things are going to get a lot more interesting from here on out.”


	3. III

Taehyung was woken by his alarm clock, loud and blaring. He groaned, grabbing his phone and pressing snooze. He was so tired. 

The ten minutes of snooze time went by extremely fast, the alarm blaring again. Taehyung sat up, turning the alarm off straight away. 

It was 8:05 in the morning. Taehyung was on an early shift at the convenience store, even though he finished late at the bar. He still needed to get that goal. 

Taehyung pulled himself out of bed, grabbing his store uniform shirt. He tiptoed out of his room, not wanting to risk waking Jiwoo or Somin. 

After having a quick shower and getting dressed, Taehyung made himself some toast. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, just scrolling through Instagram. 

After a couple of minutes, Taehyung placed his plate in the sink. He’d definitely clean it when he came back, he didn’t want to leave everything for Somin. 

Taehyung pulled on his parka coat, before grabbing his phone, wallet and keys. He locked the door after he left the apartment. 

The apartment building was chilly, but as soon as Taehyung stepped out into the street the true cold hit. Taehyung shivered, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. 

The walk to the convenience store wasn’t that far, and the route was the same. Every day. Taehyung yawned, rubbing at his eyes. 

The sound of a sudden, yet soft bang made Taehyung stop in his tracks. He looked towards the closed coffee shop. Taehyung shrugged, about to walk away when something shiny caught his eye. 

Sat on one of the outdoor tables of the cafe was what looked like a gold coin. Taehyung looked around, just in case anyone was watching. Not that he was doing anything suspicious. 

When he got closer, it became clear that it was larger than a coin. There was more detail as Taehyung looked at the coin. 

Taehyung picked up the coin-thing, overlooking it. There was a silver chain that was attached to the thing, making it more of a weird pendant thing. 

“What is this thing?” Taehyung asked no one, holding the pendant by the chain. “It looks... kinda expensive.” He quickly looked around again, making sure that there wasn’t anyone searching. There was no one around, just Taehyung on the street. 

The pendant was definitely pure gold. It’s design was a little weird; there was a round gold face surrounded by small diamonds, with diagonal crosshatch squares filling the middle. At the top of the circular face was what looked like two small cat ears. The rest of the face had golden orbs running down until the bottom. At the very bottom there were three smaller circular faces, the middle one with a $ symbol, the left a € and the right £. 

Taehyung frowned, turning the pendant around. “Avaritia?” Was written on the back of the pendant. “What the hell does that mean?” 

Tilting his head, Taehyung just shrugged. He shoved the necklace into his pocket, walking back towards the convenience store. 

“Hey, Taehyung.” Solji waved at the younger. 

“Morning, noona.” Taehyung smiled softly. Solji was his supervisor, though she’d only newly been promoted. Also, she had been Taehyung’s mentor when he first started. 

“You look tired.” Solji stood up from where she was stocking some notebooks on the bottom shelf. 

“I am tired.” Taehyung chuckled, walking towards the back room. He took off his coat, getting ready for the rest of the working day. 

Taehyung spent most of his shift restocking the drinks and jumping on the till. It never really got busy, but for that Taehyung was thankful. Having a slow shift at the store really complimented the busy bar that he’d be going to later. 

Solji was just chatting away about what her plans for the evening were. Taehyung was just chatting too; it got the shift to move faster. 

Hyelin came in after three hours, just as Solji finished. Taehyung greeted her obviously, and they chatted. Thankfully Taehyung was a happy soul, so he got along with everyone. 

“So... What are you doing tonight?” Hyelin asked, restocking behind the till selves. Taehyung was restocking the front, mostly candy bars and magazines. 

“I’m at work tonight at the bar.” Taehyung answered casually. 

“Do you ever have a day off?” Hyelin chuckled. 

“Nope. I gotta keep saving up.” Taehyung smiled up at her from his crouching position. 

“Still planning on moving out then,” Hyelin carried on sticking up the chewing gum. “Won’t you miss Somin?” 

Taehyung chuckled, but stopped his ministrations for a second. “I will miss her. But I want her to live happily with her lover.” 

Hyelin nodded. “She doesn’t feel weird about you being the third wheel?” 

“Nah,” Taehyung smiled to himself. “Somin doesn’t want me to go, but I can’t mooch off her forever.” 

Time carried on, day in and day out. Finally Taehyung’s shift came to an end. He made his way into the staff room, grabbing his coat. 

Taehyung pulled his coat on, instinctually shoved his hands into his pockets. He grabbed something roundish and cold, pulling it out of the pocket. 

“Oh it’s you.” Taehyung chuckled, looking at the necklace. He walked out of the staff room and back into the store. 

“Hey, what’s that?” Hyelin noticed the necklace straight away, gold and shiny. 

“I found it this morning.” Taehyung smiled, “I’ll see how much it’s worth to pawn.” He grinned cheekily. 

“If you found it, someone might be missing it.” Hyelin reminded. 

“I know, I know.” Taehyung waved his free hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find out if someone is looking for it.” 

Hyelin just laughed as Taehyung waved his goodbyes. He walked back onto the street, hand holding the necklace. 

“You must be worth a lot my friend.” Taehyung looked down at the pendant, gently moving his hand up and down like he was testing the weight. 

Once back at the apartment, Taehyung hooked his coat back up in his room. He sat on his bed, looking over the necklace. 

He stood up again, walking towards the mirror in his room. He held the necklace up, eyes furrowed. 

Taehyung gently pulled the chain over his head, wearing the necklace. The chain suddenly seemed to shrink, making Taehyung’s eyes widened. 

The chain was too short to go over his head now, locking around his neck. The pendant suddenly started shining. 

“What the fu-!” Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut, the glow too bright. 

Taehyung breathed heavily, his eyes still closed. He heard a thump behind him, followed by a groan. Taehyung’s eyes opened slowly, still staring into the mirror. 

“Fuck... that hurt.” A deep voice resonated from behind him. 

Taehyung quickly turned around, letting out a shriek when he saw a man. The man was laying on the floor, propped up on one elbow as the other hand rubbed his head. 

The man was wearing black jeans, black combat boots and a white turtleneck. His hair was also black, except for the streak of yellow that he had. 

“W-who are you?” Taehyung reached to the side grabbing the first thing he could, his deodorant. 

The man looked up at Taehyung, his eyes just as dark as everything else. He suddenly jolted his head around in panic, looking around the room. 

“Where is this..?” The man pushed himself up into the sitting position, glancing around the room. 

“Who are you!?” Taehyung tried again, holding his deodorant like a makeshift bat. 

The man shook his head, before his eyes suddenly landed on what was around Taehyung’s neck. He scrambled to his feet, standing straight. 

Taehyung felt his heart sink. This man was much taller than him, and he looked like he had a lot more bulk too. If this turned into a fist fight he’d be in trouble. 

The man stormed straight over towards Taehyung, making him back away into the wall. Oh god, he was going to be killed. The man pinned Taehyung against the wall, suddenly grabbing the pendant. 

“Take it off!” The man seemed to be in panic. He pulled the chain, though it only tugged Taehyung forwards. The shorter one fell into the man, who actually caught him. 

“It… it won’t come off…” Taehyung whimpered, hand clamping around the can in his hand. 

The man suddenly placed his hand behind Taehyung’s neck, feeling the chain around his neck. “It’s… oh no.” He stepped away from Taehyung looking around the room again. “Where am I? What’s going on…? Where are the others…” 

“Others…?” Taehyung was slowly side-stepping towards the door. He stealthily grabbed for the doorknob, turning it slowly. Without a second thought, Taehyung opened the door and snuck out, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Taehyung oppa, what are you doing?” Jiwoo’s voice sounded from behind. 

Taehyung jumped, turning around and staring at the younger. “A-ah, Jiwoo-yah… you’re home early.” He was holding onto his doorknob, like he could keep that guy in his room with shear strength. 

“My lecture was cancelled.” Jiwoo raised an eyebrow at the elder. “Are you okay? You look pale.” 

“I’m oka-” Taehyung’s eyes widened as he cut himself off. The man he’d just locked in his room was now standing behind Jiwoo, looking around with his back to them. “Ah… uh… um…”

“You okay, oppa? I’m getting worried now.” Jiwoo stepped closer to the elder. “Are you sick? What are you looking at?” She suddenly turned around. 

“No!” Taehyung shouted, but Jiwoo had already followed his eyes. 

“What?” Jiwoo furrowed his brows, frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“C-can’t you…” Taehyung gestured to the obvious six foot plus man behind Jiwoo. She turned around again, looking from one room to the other. 

“Is there a spider, or moth, or something?” Jiwoo frowned, seeing the shocked look in the elder’s expression. 

“But he…” Taehyung was lost for words. Could Jiwoo not see the man? 

“I’m gonna call the bar, you should stay at home today.” Jiwoo patted Taehyung’s arm. “You look ill, you’re not going to work.” And with that she pulled out her phone as she walked to her room. 

“She… she can’t see you?” Taehyung’s voice was small, his breathing shaky. The man turned around, looking at the cowering human. 

The man sighed, walking back over towards Taehyung again. “She is not wearing this.” He reached out and held the pendant. Taehyung was trembling against the door he was leaning on. 

“Wh-what are you…?” Taehyung whispered. 

The man chuckled, “who are you?”

Taehyung frowned, but took a deep breath. “Kim Taehyung…” He answered, watching the man. 

“Matthew Kim.” 

“Matthew…?” Taehyung repeated, looking up at the other. 

“Yes, that is my name.” Matthew clarified, “I am the sin of Greed.” 

“What…?” Taehyung frowned. 

“I’m not exactly human.” Matthew chuckled, ruffling the back of his hair. His aura seemed to be less threatening now. Taehyung stood up straight, his heart calming down. There was still fear in his gut, so he needed to play by ear. 

“What are you then?” Taehyung questioned, looking at the man suspiciously. 

“Ah… I’m a sin.” Matthew shrugged, turning away from the shorter and walking towards the kitchen area. “What is all this?” He picked up a PS4 controller. 

Taehyung slowly followed the ‘sin’ into the kitchen area, watching him with suspicion. Matthew placed the controller back on the breakfast bar. 

“Oppa, your work said it was fine for you to take tonight off.” Jiwoo exited her room, looking at the elder again. 

“Huh?” Taehyung turned to Jiwoo, “what happened?” 

Jiwoo rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to the bar tonight, you’re staying at home and resting. You’re pale and sick.” And with that she went back into her room. 

“Your girlfriend is-“ 

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Taehyung cut Matthew off, sending a glare to him. 

Matthew just nodded, looking around the kitchen more. Taehyung was lost, completely lost. How was he going to deal with this? 

-

Another day, and probably another all nighter. Jungmin stood on the balcony connected to the break room. It was basically for the smokers. Jungmin already had a cigarette lit up, just resting between his fingers as he leaned over the balcony. 

“Hey, are you doing alright?” Inyeop came out, lighting up his own cigarette as he did. 

“As much as I’ll ever be.” Jungmin sighed, ruffling the back of his hair.

“I heard the manager rejected your proposal.” Inyeop kept his voice calm, not wanting to bite the bullet too hard. 

“Again…” Jungmin sighed, tapping his cigarette repeatedly on the balcony banister. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Inyeop patted the younger’s shoulder, before ruffling his hair. Jungmin chuckled, but it didn’t last long as another sigh passed. “Maybe you should take a holiday, I don’t think you’ve ever had one…”

“Working keeps me sane.” Jungmin stubbed out his cigarette, another sigh passing him. 

“You have really dark bags under your eyes.” Ilyeop leaned a little closer to the younger, examining his face. “You’re not working over time tonight.”

“What, no, come on.” Jungmin turned to the elder, almost pleading. 

“What about Mini and Copper?” Inyeop reminded, immediately making Jungmin back off. 

Mini and Copper were Jungmin’s dogs, the only things he worked tirelessly for. Jungmin would make sure that his dogs were properly looked after, even before himself. They had to be fed first, vaccinated first, taken care of first. They were Jungmin’s babies. 

Mini was a white pomeranian, small and adorable. Copper was a white korean jindo, and he loved Mini just as much as the other way around. They were both rescue dogs, and Jungmin looked after them well. 

“No overtime for you tonight.” Inyeop finalised, “even if you have some work left. Go home and have a good night’s sleep tonight.” 

“I- '' Jungmin cut himself off, seeing the serious look in Inyeop’s eyes. There was no way he was going to win against him. “Okay, hyung. I’ll make sure to go home on time tonight.” 

“Good.” Inyeop grinned, “I’ll let Seungkyu know too, just in case you try to stay.” 

“Seriously, hyung?” Jungmin chuckled, “you guys really treat me like a kid.” 

“You are a kid,” Inyeop grinned, “a year is a long, lo~ng time.” 

Jungmin just rolled his eyes before stubbing his cigarette out completely in the ashtray on the banister. “I’m going back to my desk.” And with that, he disappeared back into the building.

The rest of the day consisted of reports and data, staring at a screen until tiredness started to sink in. Jungmin seemed to always have a large pile of papers. He worked through lunch just to get through most of them. 

When it came to the end of shift, Inyeop and Seungkyu were both watching Jungmin pack his stuff away. Although he wasn’t going to do overtime, Jungmin was still going to take some files home. It wouldn't hurt to look over them, right? 

“See you tomorrow guys.” Jungmin called out, waving towards his elders. Inyeop and Seungkyu both grinned and waved. 

Jungmin got into the lift, pressing the button for the ground floor. He leaned against the mirrored wall, feeling his entire body start to weaken. Jungmin hadn’t had a day to rest for what felt like months. Even on the weekend he still worked through the never ending piles of files. 

Once he was on the ground floor, he walked out of the lift and into the lobby. The receptionist smiled and waved, Jungmin smiling back at her. Jungmin walked out into the carpar his silver, pre-owned Aston Martin SV10. 

Jungmin sat in the driver's seat, throwing his bag into the passenger seat. He leaned back, thunking his head on the headrest. It was going to be a good rest when he got home, that was for sure. 

Just as he was about to start up the car he noticed something on his windshield. “What the…” There was something shiny on his car, the chain hooked onto the wiper blade. 

Jungmin opened his door again, seeing that it was some sort of necklace caught on his car. He grabbed the thing by the pendant, sliding it off of the blade. 

“You’ve gotta be joking with me…” Jungmin frowned, seeing as though the necklace had left a small scratch on the hood of his car. He clenched his fist around the pendant before getting back into his car. 

Jungmin growled, opening his palm again and looking at the pendant in his hand. He sighed, seeing the weirdly designed pendant. 

There was a upside down teardrop shaped jewel, which was orange in colour. There were small gems lining the teardrop, as well as two large ones on the top like Mickey Mouse ears. In the centre of the mouse ears was a lighter orange gem, with silver ornaments at each side. At the top of the pendant was the shape of open lips and even the top row of teeth. There was a chain attached, like a necklace. 

“What is this thing?” Jungmin scoffed, “it’s got a mouth… fucking weird.” He threw the necklace onto the passenger seat beside his bag. He didn’t even know why he kept it, he could have thrown it out the window. But, there was something intriguing about it. Engraved on the back was the word Gula.

Jungmin couldn’t help but glance at the necklace every time he reached a red light or traffic. It felt as though the necklace was watching him, and that was enough to freak him out. 

Once he arrived at his apartment complex, he parked in his designated spot before gathering his stuff. Jungmin got into the carpark lift, taking him to his floor. He pulled his keys out of his pocket, unlocking his 1DK apartment. 

The sound of paws padding to the door at just a slight janglee of his keys made Jungmin smile. “I’m home~!” He called as he opened the door. His two puppies running straight up to him and jumping up at him. 

Jungmin smiled, closing the door behind him. “Okay, calm down, calm down.” He kicked off his shoes before trying to walk towards the living room area. 

After throwing his reports onto the coffee table and his bag on the small sofa, Jungmin sat down cross-legged on the floor. His dogs immediately ran to him, jumping all over him. Their tails were wagging crazily, happy to see their master. 

“I love you guys!” Jungmin hugged and petted his dogs. At least they missed him when he was gone. They only calmed down after half an hour, Mini walking away first and towards the sofa. 

Jungmin just carried on petting Copper, the jindo licking at his face. “Aw, so cute.” Jungmin cooed, kissing the dog’s head. 

Mini had climbed onto the sofa, via the little footstool Jungmin had put out for her. The pomeranian sniffled around Jungmin’s bag, until she found the pendant under the material. 

The pomeranian grabbed the pendant, growling a little as she thrashed her head. Jungmin heard the sound straight away, eyes furrowing as he looked up at the small dog. 

“Mini, what’ve you got there?” He made his way over towards the sofa, Copper just rolling onto his back causally. 

Jungmin frowned as he noticed the necklace in Mini’s mouth. “Mini, give.” He held his hand out, before gently taking the thing from the dog’s mouth. 

Jungmin sighed, walking towards the bathroom. He rinsed the pendant under the tap, clearing the dog spit. No matter what, something this expensive must belong to someone. 

“Where is your home, huh?” Jungmin asked the pendant, but laughed at his own silliness. He noticed that the pendant had an extremely long chain, one that would easily go over his head. 

Jungmin shrugged his shoulders, passing the chain over his head. “Kinda ugly…” he chuckled, but it didn’t last long. The chain suddenly shrank and the pendant started glowing a bright orange. 

“What th- argh!” Jungmin shrieked, the light blinding him. The sound of his dogs whimpering in the background. 

When Jungmin reopened his eyes, he sat on his bathroom floor, hands over his face. His eyes were looking around, but nothing in the bathroom looked different. 

“What just happened…?” Jungmin ruffled his hair, feeling like he’d fallen on his head. He got himself to his feet, looking over himself in the mirror again. 

Jungmin grabbed the pendant around his neck, only to realise that the chain was now shrunk - too small to pull over his head shrunk. “Fuck sake…” Jungmin sighed, reaching around the back of his neck but there was no clasp. 

Jungmin pulled on the chain, hoping that it would snap, but nothing. “Are you kidding me…?” He rolled his eyes, yanking at the chain again. 

The sound of his dogs suddenly barking caught Jungmin’s attention. “Mini? Copper?” He scrambled out of the bathroom and back into the main living area. 

Jungmin screeched at the sight of a man lying in the middle of his floor. The man was wearing a large back tee and leather trousers, topped off with some black combat boots. 

Mini and Copper were both barking at the stranger, keeping their distance but yapping aimlessly. “Ah, shut up…” The man groaned, sitting up. He looked around the room, eyes wide with shock. “Where is this?” 

Jungmin reached for the first thing he could, which just happened to be a small potted plant from his side table. “Wh-who are you?” He stuttered out, holding the plant like a weapon. His dogs were around his feet, still barking at the intruder. 

The man got to his feet, looking around the room again. “Oh god, this isn’t Hell…” He muttered to himself, laughing a little. “Oh my god, we really fell to Earth!” 

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Jungmin questioned again, eyes narrowing a little. The man turned to look at Jungmin, his eyes wide. 

“Holy shit, a human.” The man laughed again. He had an extremely happy look on his face, like this was the best day of his life. “I can’t believe I’m here this is amazing!” 

“Tell me who you are, right now!” Jungmin snapped, his dogs whimpering behind him now. 

“Ah, my name is Lee Yohan.” The man just nodded, “got any food?” He walked over towards the kitchenette, beeline straight for the fridge. Without even asking, he opened the fridge and grabbed a block of cheese. 

Jungmin slowly walked towards the man, the potted plant still in his hands. “H-how did you get here?” 

“I fell from the sky and landed on Earth like the others I suppose.” Yohan answered before taking a bite out of the cheese. “Ooh, wensleydale.” 

Jungmin frowned a little, seeing the man eating a block of cheese from the fridge like it was normal. “Can… can you please leave my house? If you go now I won’t involve the police.” Jungmin was definitely going to call the cops, he just needed the right time and place. 

“Leave?” Yohan turned to look at the human seriously. “Sure, when I get my pendant. Come to think…” His eyes widened again, filled with worry this time. “Where is it?!” He seemed panicked. 

Yohan walked away from the fridge, making his way back to the spot that he’d awoken. “Have you seen it?” He asked the human. 

“You mean this thing?” Jungmin pulled the pendant from where it had slipped into his shirt. 

Yohan’s eyes widened, instantly storming towards the shorter man. “Give it to me.” He demanded, holding out his hand. 

“I… I can’t!” Jungmin took a step back, feeling slightly intimidated. “It won’t come off!” He tugged at the chain and pendant, just to prove his point. 

Yohan’s eyes widened again. “You can’t take it off?” He looked shocked, almost put off. 

“Why would I lie!? I don’t want this thing!” Jungmin frowned, glaring at the other man. “I’ll get some chain cutters tomorrow and send it to you, but for now you should leave.” 

“Leave, and go where?!” Yohan sighed, “I can’t be away from my pendant, it determines who I am as the Sin of Gluttony!”

“Sin of Gluttony? What are you talking about?” Jungmin was tightening his grip on the plant, ready to launch it if necessary. 

Before Yohan could answer, the sound of a knock on the door caught them both off guard. Jungmin placed the plant down, waking straight towards the door. 

“Ah, Mrs Kwon…” Jungmin opened the door, only to see the elderly landlady standing at the door. 

“Is everything alright, Jungminnie-yah?” She glanced into the apartment, frowning a little. 

“Ah, Mrs Kwon, I can explain!” Jungmin gestured to Yohan behind him, “he- he was just leaving…”

“Who? Copper?” Mrs Kwon looked into the apartment with complete confusion. Jungmin instantly turned around. Yohan was still standing in the middle of the room, right in plain sight, in the elderly woman’s view. 

“Not Copper, I meant…” Jungmin muttered, eyes staring at Yohan. The man just shrugged, but a smirk was playing on his face.

“Jungminnie, you’ve been overworking yourself again, haven’t you?” Mrs Kwon chuckled, patting the man’s shoulder. “Have a good rest tonight and don’t work too hard. I’ll talk to you tomorrow about the matter.” 

Jungmin was about to call the woman back, but he couldn't find his voice. Mrs Kwon shut the door as she left, leaving the gobsmacked Jungmin behind in her wake. 

“She… she couldn’t see you?” Jungmin asked, eyes fearful as he turned to the man behind him. 

“Well, she doesn’t have my pendant.” Yohan spoke casually. “Without it I’m just a ghost to others, I suppose.” He didn’t sound like he knew entirely what he was talking about.

“A ghost…? Wait, wait, wait, wait! What are you? Why couldn’t she see you?!” The panic was evident in Jungmin’s voice. 

“Well, I guess it’s a long story.” Yohan sighed. There was probably a better way to go about all of this after all. 

-

Wehan always woke up at 5am sharp. He’d go for a jog before coming back to his student accommodation for a shower. Then he’d leave for the commute to university. It was only a 20 minute walk, and Wenhan always walked fast. 

Once he arrived on campus he’d always make his way to the swimming pool. An early practice every morning really helped rack up his numbers. He was currently on his walk to the pool. 

Wenhan opened his locker, finding all of his attire in there. He placed his duffle bag in his locker after removing his towel. He stripped his clothes off, thankfully he always wore his bathing suit under his clothes. 

After stripping down into his swimming shorts, Wenhan grabbed his towel and walked out of the locker room. He walked up the stairs towards the outdoor pool. 

It was quite cold in the mornings, but Wenhan kept to his training no matter what. He wanted to reach higher levels in swimming, so when he went back to China after university he could enter the top facilities. 

“Okay.” Wenhan hyped himself up, trapezius stretching before moving onto legs. He stepped onto the platform, looking out on the calm water of the pool. 

Wenhan smiled, seeing a few leaves in the pool. The morning sun reflected on the pool always looked so beautiful. He took a deep breath, inhaling that fresh morning air. 

After just admiring the scenery for a couple minutes, Wenhan crouched down on the platform. He gripped the front, getting the proper stance. 

Counting himself in, Wenhan jumped from the platform. His form was perfect as he entered the water, the splash minimal. He was swimming freestyle, his arms the perfect position and perfect motion. 

Wenhan reached the other end of the swimming pool, rolling under the water and kicking off again. He went for his full speed back to the start, until something shiny caught his eye. 

Wenhan stopped mid stroke, standing up in the pool. He turned back to where he’d seen the shiny object. It wasn’t very visible from above the water. 

“What the…” Wenhan frowned, walking slowly towards where he’d seen the thing. 

Once he stood right over it, Wenhan held his breath. He disappeared into the pool, grabbing the thing before emerging once again. 

Wenhan raked a hand through his wet hair, followed by a slight wipe of his eyes. He shook the remaining water out of his vision. The feeling of the slightly heavy object in his hand made Wenhan immediately look down. 

“A necklace…?” Wenhan frowned, looking down at the pendant and chain. 

The pendant looked a lot like a little pillow. There was a light blue diamond shaped gem in the very centre, surrounded by red stone designed to look like cushion ruffles. There was gold lining around the red, as well as tiny golden tassels. From the bottom tassel there were little diamonds that ran up until the side tassels. At the top of the pedant were two large purple jewels, round like ears. The top tassel was a ring which was around a pure golden chain. 

“Who would throw this thing into the pool?” Wenhan frowned, looking over the probably expensive pendant. 

Perhaps it was part of a breakup scene. Wenhan had seen people confess by the pool before. Maybe a girl threw it in the pool as a rejection. That would have been one hell of a scene. 

Wenhan sighed, swimming over towards the side of the pool. He leaned on the side, eyes looking over the pendant. “It’s kinda cute.” He smiled, looking at the gem pillow. 

He turned the pendant around, looking at the writing engraved on the back. It was written in the Latin alphabet. Acedia. 

“Acedia?” Wenhan frowned, leaning on his free palm. “I wonder what that means.” 

The pendant was actually rather pretty. Whoever the girl was, she must have had a strong stomach to throw such an expensive necklace into the pool. The chlorine could have eaten away at it. 

Wenhan sighed, turning around and looking back to the pool. He should really get back to his training. The others would arrive soon for morning practice. 

Wenhan was about to leave the necklace on the side, but he couldn’t find it in himself to just leave it. He smiled at the necklace, “I’ll have to leave you with my bag.” 

He slowly pulled the necklace over his head, figuring he’d just swim to the last leg with the necklace before getting out the pool. 

Wenhan’s eyes widened, the pendant starting to glow brightly. The swimmer squeezed his eyes shut, the light blinding him 

Wenhan ducked back into the water, trying to drown out the light. After a while the light dimmed, and Wenhan’s eyes reopened. 

Under the water his vision was blurred, but the light was at least gone. Wenhan stood up from the water again, rubbing the chlorine out of his eyes. 

“What happened there?” Wenhan rhetorically asked, looking down at the pendant again. The chain was a lot shorter than before now; it was impossible to pull back over his head. 

Wenhan grabbed the pendant, yanking at it but nothing happened. “Why is this stuck!?” He growled until something else caught his eye. 

“Argh!” Wenhan yelped, seeing a body in the water under his feet. He jumped back, only to lose his footing and end up under the water again. 

Wenhan opened his eyes under the water again, seeing the figure flailing its arms. The body was alive!? Wenhan quickly resurfaced for air before diving down again. 

Without hesitation, Wenhan grabbed the body. He pulled the other to the surface, taking a deep breath of air as he did. He shook his head before checking over the man he’d hauled out of the pool. 

“Are you okay?” Wenhan asked as he dragged the body towards the edge of the pool. 

The man slowly opened his eyes, looking over Wenhan. The Chinese boy had so much concern in his eyes, like he’d just witnessed something tragic. 

“Hey, are you okay? Can you speak?” Wenhan asked, his Korean accented. 

Wenhan placed both hands on the side of the pool, using his upper body strength to pull himself out. He quickly grabbed the man again, dragging him out of the pool. 

“Hey!” Wenhan laid the man on the side of the pool. The man was just watching Wenhan, his eyes almost skeptical. 

Wenhan sighed, his hands resting on his thighs. “What were you doing in the pool? Were you trying to drown yourself or something!? I didn’t even hear you enter the water!” 

The man’s eyes were fixated on something lower than Wenhan’s eyes. The Chinese man looked down at himself, catching a glimpse of the pendant. 

“Why are you wearing that?” The man sat up, his face suddenly too close. 

“I… I found it in the pool and-“ Wenhan cut himself off, glancing down at the man. He noticed that he was bone dry. His hair and clothes, like he hadn’t been in the pool at all. 

He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves folded up to just below his elbows. The folds on the arms and the collar of the shirt had a snake skin design. He was wearing black jeans and black combat boots. Even the man’s hair was jet black, apart from one streak of purple. 

“You’re… not wet?” Wenhan felt stupid for saying, but he couldn’t believe his eyes. 

“Well, I guess I’m not bound by this world.” The man shrugged, suddenly looking around his surroundings. “Where is this anyway?” 

“Sagwanamu University…” Wenhan answered without hesitation. 

The man nodded, but he still didn’t understand. His eyes looked back to the necklace around Wenhan’s neck. 

“Can you give me my pendant back?” The man held out his hand, eyes hard as he looked deep into Wenhan’s eyes. 

“I can’t take it off.” Wenhan answered, “I’m sorry.” 

The man scoffed, leaning back on his palms. “Typical… just come to earth and everything’s already fucked up.” 

“What?” Wenhan was extremely confident in his Korean, but he was pretty sure he heard some of that wrong. 

The man raised an eyebrow at the swimmer but didn’t answer. Wenhan was already starting to feel frustrated with this guy. 

“Who are you? Are you a magician or something? How did you do the illusion so your clothes and hair are dry?” Wenhan couldn’t help but ask. 

“What illusion?” The man scoffed again. “I am dry.” He suddenly grabbed Wenhan’s hand, placing it on his head. “See? No illusion, dry.” 

Wenhan instantly snatched his hand back, shuffling away. That was impossible. He’d literally just dragged this guy out of the pool. Wenhan himself was still soaking. 

“What are you?” He sounded crazy, even to himself. 

“Kim Sungjoo, the Sin Of Sloth.” The man replied, leaning back once again. 

“Sin Of Sloth…? What are you talking about?” Wenhan was beyond confused. 

Sungjoo tilted his head, eyebrows raised again. “That’s my purpose.” 

“Your purpose?” 

“Wenhan?” A deep voice called from above. Wenhan instantly looked up and past Sungjoo. The claimed sin just threw his head back, looking at the new person upside down. 

“Ah, Geng-ge.” Wenhan got to his feet, bowing his head to Han Geng. The coach gave Wenhan a soft, yet concerned look. 

“Why were you kneeling on the floor?” Han Geng stepped closer, just a few inches from where Sungjoo was still sitting on the floor. “Are you feeling alright?” 

“I just pulled Sungjoo from the pool.” Wenhan gestured to the man sitting on the floor. 

Han Geng glanced down, a furrow on his face. “Who?” He questioned, eyes darting around the pool area. 

Sungjoo stood up from the floor, walking off to the side. Wenhan’s eyes followed him, before giving Han Geng a look like he was delusional. 

“Sungjoo, he’s right…” Wenhan pointed towards where the sin had walked off to. 

Han Geng frowned again, seeing as though there was no one. “Wenhan, are you okay?” He stepped closer, placing the back of his hand on Wenhan’s forehead. 

“I’m… fine.” Could Han Geng not see Sungjoo? That’s impossible. 

“Is that a new necklace?” Han Geng suddenly asked, pointing to the pendant around Wenhan’s neck. “Looks a bit like a pillow.” 

“I… I think it is a pillow…” Wenhan glanced back over towards Sungjoo, who was now leaning against the wall. His head was lowered and his chest falling steadily. Was he sleeping while standing? 

“Well, you know that wearing jewellery might affect your times, so just be aware.” Han Geng clarified, before turning towards the changing rooms. “I wonder if the others are here yet.” 

Wenhan just nodded. Han Geng really couldn’t see Sungjoo. What was this man; a ghost? A lingering spirit!? 

What the hell was going on!? 

-

Joon was currently sitting at his desk, headset on and ready. He’d been working in this call centre for six months now, and it was just the same thing day in and day out. 

He didn’t mind the job, but he wished that he could find one closer to where Hyeongkon lived. Unfortunately today Joon was on the late shift, so he wouldn’t be visiting his boyfriend today. 

But you know what they say: absence makes the heart grow fonder. 

Joon glanced at his phone, seeing if Hyeongkon had answered his text. He wasn’t expecting much, since the younger would have just finished work. 

“Hey, Joonie-hyung?” His desk neighbour called him. Sanghyun was on most shifts with Joon, and they started only a month apart, so they were pretty close. 

“Yo.” Joon answered, locking his phone straight away. 

“You want some coffee?” Sanghyun suggested, already putting his headset offline. 

“Please.” Joon smiled at the younger, appreciating the gesture. 

The night shifts definitely dragged, the hours feeling almost like weeks. There was only Joon and Sanghyun on until 1am, which was when their shift ended. 

Chatting to each other about their lives and answering a few customers calls in between really helped with the time. Before Joon knew it, it was already 00:54. 

“So, any plans tomorrow?” Sanghyun asked, fiddling with the rubix cube he kept on his desk. He could solve it in two minutes no problem. 

“I’m going to Hyeongkon’s after work.” Joon smiled, already thinking about it. 

“You on the early tomorrow?” Sanghyun looked shocked at the thought. How cruel, doing a late and then an early. 

“Midday shift.” Joon corrected, his smile never fading. 

They both started packing up as their conversation continued. “Are you going to stay over?” Sanghyun asked as he threw his rubix cube into his bag. 

“I could, but I’m at work the day after too.” Joon sighed. 

“How come he rarely comes up to see you?” Sanghyun asked, his tone a little shifty. “He’s just an office worker, right? Surely he finishes work at like 6?” 

“Not if he’s doing overtime.” Joon quickly corrected. Sanghyun always seemed to speak a little harshly of Hyeongkon, but Joon just assumed it was because he was the person Joon sometimes whined too about his boyfriend. 

Sanghyun just nodded before getting to his feet. “Come on, let's go home.” 

Joon nodded, slinging his own bag over his shoulder. They both walked out of the building and towards the car park, still chatting merrily as they went. 

“Have a good day off tomorrow.” Joon gave the younger a hug. 

“You know it.” Sanghyun hugged Joon back, before making his way to his Ford Fiesta. 

Joon waved the younger off, before climbing into his Range Rover. He threw his bag on the passenger seat, before leaning back in his chair. 

He was tired, but he still had to get home. Joon drove the same route he drove every day, back towards his apartment complex. It was about a 20 minute drive from his workplace, and thankfully this time of night the roads were always clear. 

Once he arrived at the complex, Joon pulled into his delegated parking space. He yawned as he exited the car, slamming the door shut behind him. 

Joon’s apartment had outdoor stairs to the second floor, which got slippery with rainy weather. Thankfully, the previous rain from a couple of hours ago hadn’t soaked the stairs completely. 

Joon trudged up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to just get into bed. He was only two steps from the second floor when he heard a crunch under his foot. 

Joon instantly stepped back and looked down, only to see some form of jewellery on the step. Normally he wouldn’t think anything of it and leave it, but there was something about it. 

Joon crouched down, picking it up from the chain. Even though he’d just stood on it, it looked pretty intact and clean. Weird. At closer inspection it was a necklace, with a pendant and long chain. 

The pendant was undoubtedly an eye. The silver outline on the eye even adorned long silver eyelashes. The design looked like there was eyeshadow, but it was made of tiny black gems perfectly aligned. The centre of the eye was a lot more interesting. The pupil was a black diamond, surrounded by a green iris made from crystal. Lastly, there were small white diamonds lining the iris. The most striking part of the pendant was the teardrop diamond that was attached to the inner corner of the eye. The eye was crying. 

Joon carried on walking up the stairs as he looked at the pendant in his hand. What an odd looking necklace; a crying eye? 

After fumbling with his keys, Joon unlocked his apartment and walked inside. He toed off his shoes before walking into the small living space. 

“It’s kinda pretty.” Joon smiled, looking over the pendant in his hand in more detail. “I wonder who it belongs to?” 

Surely someone would be looking for this. It looked too beautiful and priceless to just be carelessly tossed aside. Joon thought that maybe the chain might have broken, but it didn’t even have a clasp. It was just an over the head chain. 

“Hmm, I wonder who your owner is.” Joon turned the pendant around, thinking that there might be a name scribbled there. “Invidia?” He read what the scrawl on the back said. 

Didn’t quite sound like a name, but then again these days names seemed to be more out there. Invidia could be a name for all Joon knew. 

Joon suddenly caught sight of himself in his mirror, which was situated over his fireplace. He looked super worn out and tired. A deep sigh passed his lips, wondering how he could look like this. 

The pendant in his hand caught his eye. Joon didn’t wear jewellery, it wasn’t really his thing. But, it wouldn’t hurt to try the thing on right? It looked super expensive and authentic. 

Joon pulled the chain over his head. He only caught a glimpse of himself for a second before green light flooded the room. 

Joon gasped, his eyes shutting to block the light. After a few minutes he opened them again, his breathing heavy and ragged. 

“What was that all about?” Joon went to quickly grab the chain, wanting the necklace off. It must have been some sort of prank, and he’d fallen for it. 

Joon suddenly felt himself go pale. The chain was too short to fit back over his head. He tried, but to be avail. And, there was no clasp to get the thing off. 

“You’re kidding.” Joon frowned at himself in the mirror, that was until he caught sight of another reflection. He yelled and jumped back, turning fast to see a man on the floor. 

The man groaned as he sat up, ruffling his black hair, complimented by a random green streak. He looked around the room, until his eyes landed on Joon. 

Joon pressed himself into the wall, searching around for anything that could help in this situation. The man slowly got to his feet, brushing himself down. 

He was wearing a dark blue shirt under a black jacket. The jacket had studs, apart from the plain leather arms. He was wearing black jeans and combat boots, mostly just black. 

“What do you want?” Joon quickly asked. “I have no money or anything like that?” 

The man just continued to look around, almost like he was judging. “I’m not interested in that stuff. That is not my sin.” 

“Your sin…?” Joon was confused, not really sure what the man was talking about. 

“I’m sorry, allow me to introduce myself.” The man bowed his head before his eyes shifted to the pendant. “My name is Yang Seungho, and I am the Sin of Envy.” 

“Envy…? What?” Joon frowned. Had he worked too hard on not enough sleep? “How did you get in here?” 

“Well, you brought my pendant inside.” Seungho’s tone seemed cold and stern. 

“This is yours? I’m sorry but it seems to be stuck.” Joon just wanted to give this man what was his and have him on his way. “Do you know how to take it off?” 

Seungho shook his head. Truthfully none of the seven knew how, it never occurred to them. Or the situation never roused in the first place. This had never happened. 

Joon bit his lip, ready to say something about the man leaving when there was a thump at the door. Joon jumped while Seungho barely moved his head. 

The sound of the door unlocking made Joon’s heart sink. Was someone picking the lock?! Joon grabbed his phone; he needed to call the police. There was a strange man in his house and now someone was breaking in. 

The door finally swung open. “Joonie!” A drunk Hyeongkon made his way inside, leaning against the wall as he did. 

“Hyeongkon?” Joon instantly ran over towards the younger, helping him stand up straight. “What are you doing here?” 

“I was… drinking in Hongdae with… workmates.” Hyeongkon slurred. “Your house is closer.” He clumsily kicked his shoes off, before stumbling more into the apartment. 

Joon led the younger more inside, worry evident. He was about to ask if Hyeongkon wanted some water, when Seungho caught his eye again. 

Joon froze; how was he supposed to explain this to Hyeongkon. “Ah, um.” Joon started, eyes never leaving Seungho’s. 

Hyeongkon looked up, staring directly at Seungho. Joon flinched again, expecting a mountain of questions he couldn’t answer. 

“What are you looking at?” Hyeongkon asked a question completely out of Joon’s arsenal. 

“Huh?” Joon frowned, looking from his boyfriend to the sin. “Can’t you…?” He saw Seungho shake his head, like he was answering the question. 

“Take me to bed! I’m tired!” Hyeongkon suddenly started whining, wiggling in Joon’s grasp. 

“Ah, okay.” Joon directed the younger into his bedroom, throwing him on the bed. Hyeongkon immediately passed out, snoring away like he did. 

Joon sighed, but a small smile played on his lips. Seungho just watched the whole ordeal, his eyes narrowing as each second passed. That feeling in his gut that was always there twisting more and more. 

After exiting the bedroom, Joon jumped again. He remembered that Seungho still had to be dealt with, but how he couldn’t say. 

“C-can you please…” Joon gestured to the door. “Leave…?” 

“I cannot.” Seungho answered, frowning deeper. “I can not leave without what’s mine.” His eyes skittered down to his pendant, which was obviously still around Joon’s neck. 

“Take it then!” Joon snapped, eyes wide with frustration and worry. 

Seungho rolled his eyes, “I can’t.” He walked over to one of the chairs, “unless you’re willing to chop your head off.” 

Joon shivered; that sounded like a threat. There was no light in Seungho’s eyes, almost as if he meant it. What if he cut his head off in his sleep!? 

Seungho sighed, “relax. I won’t hurt you. I’m trying to figure this out, so give me some time and I’ll come up with a solution that benefits us both.” 

Joon nodded, but his heart was still thumping. “I-if you don’t leave I’m gonna call the police…” 

Seungho glared, “you know they won’t be able to see me.” He recalled, seeing as though Joon forgot about Hyeongkon’s encounter. 

“Why…? Why can’t others see you?” Joon suddenly looked back to the mirror, gripping his head. “I’m hallucinating! My mental stability is in question!” 

Seungho rolled his eyes again. His guy was hard to talk to, and apparently a bit of a nut. “Relax, you’re not going mad.” 

“That’s exactly what my brain would tell me!” Joon pointed towards Seungho. 

This was gonna be hard to explain… 

———

AN:// 

Merry Christmas x   
사랑해요 <3


	4. IV

Junhong pulled his rucksack further onto his shoulder. He was looking down at his phone, earphones in as he listened to his music. Currently walking to university, Junhong enjoyed listening to his favourite songs. 

It had been a while since he’d been to the dance studio, what with a new assignment in the semester starting. Junhong didn’t have a lot of free time to just dance. 

Music Technology was one hell of a time consuming subject. There was so much to learn, so many paths to take. Junhong wanted to try them all, and he’d already limited himself to the doable amount. 

Junhong’s university was a heart 30 minutes walk from his accommodation complex. He didn’t mind though, he enjoyed the walk and the fresh air before locking himself away in front of a computer. 

Once Junhong arrived at the university, he walked towards the music department. He created a few familiar faces on the way, including a few girls from his course. 

Junhong plonked himself down on the desk and duel computers in the far corner of the room. He always sat there, liking to just sit and get on with it. 

“Hey, Junhong.” The man sat opposite greeted. 

Lee Hangseok was Junhong’s closest friend on the course. They’d even done a song together under their pen names; Zelo and Xion. 

“Hi, hyung.” Junhong smiled back at the elder, pulling his earphones out of his ears. 

“So, have you thought about what you’re gonna do for your dubstep sampling assignment?” Hangseok asked, leaning on his desktop monitor. He always sat on the same computer too, so they were always opposite each other. 

“I have a few ideas, but I’ll see what the tutors think first.” Junhong was pulling out his notebook, where all of his idea notes are scribbled. 

Hangseok nodded, before sitting back in his chair. “I haven’t finished anything either, just a few thoughts here and there.” 

“Well, at least we can help each other out.” Junhong reminded. They’d helped each other out since the beginning of first year, and they were doing well because of it. 

If there was ever a group project, Junhong would grab Hangseok first or vice versa. At the moment they were at the top of their course, spending hours on end in the studio and sometimes not even going home. 

There was one thing that made their friendship even better. They both loved dancing too, which Junhong had only found out the other month. 

Junhong went to the Moon studio close to his accommodation, but Hangseok went to studio Sonic; which happened to be closer to his house. 

“Have you thought about coming to Sonic yet?” Hangseok asked as he tapped away on his mouse. He knew about the bullying that Junhong went through by the other dancers at Moon. 

“I don’t know,” Junhong sighed, opening his files onto the screen. “I might miss Jongup too much.” 

“Yeah, he seems like a cool guy.” Hangseok nodded, hooking his headphones around his neck. 

“Is Sonic good?” Junhong questioned casually, reaching for his own headphones. 

“Well, the building is small.” Hangseok sighed, “really small. But Jaehwan hyung is a great teacher and it’s got a more… cozy feel.” 

Junhong raised an eyebrow. It was relatively rare to hear Hangseok praise anyone. He was more of a productive critiser than a praiser. Even to Junhong. 

“So…” Junhong smirked, “Jaehwan hyung is great?” 

“Shut up.” Hangseok frowned, looking down at the screen. Junhong chuckled, seeing the soft pink dust the elder’s cheeks. 

Once the headphones were on, everything else was blanked out. Junhong focused on his compositions, testing a few ideas now and then. 

Hours passed, just endlessly working. Junhong wanted to get the main gist of a composition for his ideas, before showcasing them to the tutors. He’d improve and expand on the one that they chose. 

Junhong felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to the side, seeing Hangseok smiling down at him. The younger quickly pulled his headphones off, “what’s up, hyung?” 

“It’s half two, wanna get some lunch?” Hangseok has already pulled his jacket on, though he’d leave his bag and everything else by his computer. 

“Ah, sure.” Junhong dug his wallet out of his bag before pulling on his own navy jacket. 

They both walked towards the small area just a few minutes down from the university where there were a lot of food stalls. There were always students around, but Junhong and Hangseok always had lunch later. 

“I’m gonna go to the ramen stall.” Junhong announced, already making his way towards the stall. 

“You always have ramen.” Hangseok chuckled before walking towards the galbi stand. 

“Ah, Junhonggie~!” The little old man who owned the ramen store smiled when seeing the student. 

“Hello, ahjussi.” Junhong smiled back, looking over the menu. “How have you been?” He always liked to make small talk. 

“I’ve been well.” The man smiled, already preparing the noodles. 

“Ah, I suppose I’ll have the shirataki with pork belly ramen.” Junhong smiled sweetly. The ahjussi just chuckled, since Junhong would only alternate between two or three dishes in the week. 

The old man had Junhong’s order ready within a few seconds, always in the biggest bowl he had. Junhong smiled again, paying the old man and tipping him as always. 

Junhong walked over towards one of the benches in the middle of the stalls. The gazebos were still up due to the colder weather, but still had that summery feel of eating outdoors. 

Junhong sat down first, since Hangseok was still at his stall. The younger snapped his chopsticks, starting to slurp at his noodles. He had never tasted better ramen than this, he’d never eat at another store again. 

Junhong glanced around the area, feeling at peace. He squinted, seeing something shiny stick on a branch of a small tree. Junhong stood up, intrigued by the object. 

Thankfully because of his height, Junhong could grab the thing. Once in his hand, Junhong returned to his bench. He picked up his chopsticks again, continuing with his ramen as he looked over the object in his hand. 

“Looks like a necklace.” Junhong frowned, before slurping some more noodles. 

The pendant looked, in a word, quite fierce. There was a dark red jewel in the centre, in the shape of almost a heart. Surrounding the heart was a line of small red gems, and then another line of small black ones. At the bottom was a lighter red jewel, hanging from the main piece. There were two small silver swords with golden handles at the top of the pendant like ears. Between the swords was a diamond made from the same small black gems that lead to the red jeweled ring and chain. The most prominent part of the pendant was the two delicately sculpted hands that appeared to be grasping the heart, their red nails digging in. 

Junhong wondered if the necklace belonged to some sort of organisation or club. Surely this wasn’t something that you could just bye. It looked expensive and precious. 

“How did it end up in a tree?” Junhong looked back up at the tree he’d just pulled the necklace down from. 

“Hey, man.” Hangseok sat down at the opposite side of the bench, his dakgalbi in a plastic bowl. “Already has your ramen?” 

“I don’t inhale noodles.” Junhong laughed, giving his attention back to the elder. Hangseok laughed back, the both of them needing the break away from the computers. 

Junhong couldn’t help but glance at the pendant that he’d just sat next to him on the bench. Hangseok was chatting away and Junhong answered each question, and chatted too. But the pendant was enduring. 

When they were walking back to the university Hangseok noticed the chain in the younger’s hand. “What’s that?” He asked casually. 

“Oh, it's a pendant I found.” Junhong opened his palm, showing the elder. 

“Wow, pretty swanky.” Hangseok teased, nudging the younger with his elbow. “What are you planning to do with it?” 

“I don’t know.” Junhong frowned. “Since I found it at the food stalls, I might hand it into the reception.” 

“Ah, good idea.” Hangseok nodded before pulling a face. Junhong just playfully shoved the shorter, making him laugh again. 

Once back in the music block, Junhong returned to the tech room alone. Hangseok excuses himself to the toilet, letting Junhong go back by himself. 

Once back in the room, Junhong made his way back to his desk in the corner. There was no one else in the room, since there was no scheduled time for the afternoon. 

He sat on his wheelie chair, holding the pendant up in the light. “I wonder who you belong to.” Junhong chuckled, before catching a glimpse of his reflection in the monitor. 

Junhong held the necklace by the chain, seeing that it was a super long chain. He glanced at his reflection again before back to the pendant. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to try it on. 

Junhong pulled the chain over his head, letting the pendant weigh down. There was a sudden bright light, blinding Junhong and filling the entire room. 

After the light dimmed behind Junhong’s eyelids, he slowly opened his eyes again. His eyes shifted around, before looking down at himself - at the necklace. 

The chain had shrunk, no longer pullable over the head. Junhong panicked a little, trying to find the clasp at the back, but to no avail. He felt around the entire chain, but there was nothing to unhook it. 

“What…?” Junhong was about to pull when his eyes caught sight of something. Or rather, someone. 

There was a man lying in the middle of the room. He was wearing black leather trousers with black combat boots. Under his back blazer was a fitted black top. There was a lot of black, even his hair. Apart from the dark red streak that stood out compared to everything else. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Junhong quickly ran to the man. Had he come in when Junhong was messing with the necklace and fainted. 

The man groaned, lifting himself into the sitting position. He slowly opened his eyes, looking around the computer room. Junhong knelt in front of him, a worried expression following. 

“Are you okay? Do you need some water?” Junhong asked again, hoping he might get a response from the man. 

The man’s eyes instantly zoned in on the necklace, gaze glued. Junhong glanced down, before grabbing onto the pendant around his neck. 

The man’s intense eyes immediately shot upwards to stare at Junhong, almost glaring at him. “Ah, do you not speak Korean?” Junhong played all the cards. 

“Why do you have my pendant?” The deep voice growled making Junhong flinch back a little. Nothing about this man sounded friendly, his entire aura making everything more fearful. 

“Ah, I… I found it.” Junhong said, not even thinking about the consequences of having the pendant. He hadn’t thought about who it belonged to and how that could have changed the outcome of the situation. 

“Give it back to me, you have no right to have it!” The man got to his feet, growling as he saw how much taller Junhong was. 

Junhong backed away, walking back until he’d hit the wall. The man stalked up closer to him, eyes glaring and dark. Just as the distance between them seemed to shrink, the door opened again.

“Hey, Junhong, I’m gonna go get another drink, do you want one?” Hangseok entered, completely unphased by the fact that there was a man standing right in front of Junhong.

“Uh… yeah…?” Junhong mumbled, glancing from Hangseok to the man. 

“Why are you acting so shifty?” Hangseok frowned, looking around the room. “You’re not planning to prank me are you?” 

“What, no.” Junhong denied, “just, do you know him?” He gestured towards the mysterious man still standing in front of him.

Hangseok started looking around the room again, “who?” He started feeling a little creeped out by how the younger was staring at nothing. “Is this your interpretation of the Ghost Challenge because this is freaking me out, what are you staring at?”

“You really can’t see him?” Junhong questioned, almost in disbelief. 

“I’m gonna go get a coffee, you’re pissing me off, Jun.” Hangseok scoffed, walking back out the door before calling after, “I’ll get you one.”

“Jun?” The man asked; not once had his eyes left his pendant. 

“Ah… Choi Junhong. That’s my name.” Junhong quickly corrected, nodding continuously and blinking hard. 

The man’s frown didn’t fade, still staring at the pendant like his gaze could bring it back to him. Junhong needed to do something, even if it meant running when he got the chance. 

“Could… could Hangseok-hyung really not see you?” He asked softly. The man’s eyes finally looked up into Junhong’s eyes. The man had extremely deep, almost black eyes. 

“No.” The deep voice answered darkly. “He can’t see me, because he doesn’t have my pendant.” he glared again, bringing his own attention back to the necklace. 

“Y-you can have it back, okay?” Junhong pulled at the chain, only for it to remain completely intact. 

The man rolled his eyes, “it won’t work like that.” 

“H-how does it work?” Junhong just wanted this man to leave, with his pendant. 

“I do not know. But believe me, I will find out.” The man gritted his teeth, snarling a little as he glanced towards the computers. His expression suddenly changed, like he was suddenly interested in the technology. 

Junhong looked over towards the man, who was actually exploring the room a little. He walked over to the closest computer, touching the screen. 

“So, uh… what is your name?” Junhong questioned, scratching at his arm nervously. 

“Bang Yongguk.” The man answered while he continued to look around the room.

Just as Junhong was going to ask again, the door reopened. Hangseok walked in with two take away coffee cups. “I got you a vanilla latte.” 

“O-oh, thanks.” Junhong walked over to the elder, grabbing the coffee cup. Hangseok went to sit at his desk, ignoring the fact that Yongguk was standing right behind him. 

“I’m thinking of changing this octave, what do you think?” Hangseok unplugged his headphones, before pressing the spacebar. Music sounded from the computer, an upbeat tune with a low bass. 

Junhong was watching Yongguk, the man raising an eyebrow as he watched the screen of the computer. Hangseok was just bobbing his head along to the beat, enjoying his sound. 

“What’ya think?” Hangseok asked after the music had ended. 

“It’s good.” Junhong nodded, “maybe it's the tempo that's not quite right.” 

Hangseok made a frown, looking over his work. “Maybe you’re right…” He plugged his headphones back in, going straight to the variations. 

Yongguk frowned, a look of confusion over his face. Junhong had to stop himself from laughing, seeing as though this sinister looking man now looked as lost as a child. 

Junhong placed his coffee cup down before walking towards the door. He was going to go to the bathroom, and hopefully away from his delusions. As soon as Junhong opened the door, Yongguk stood outside the door. 

Junhong yelped, falling backwards into the door which had shut on itself. “How did you…?” Junhong gasped, looking at the door behind him. 

“You don’t get it, do you?” Yongguk scoffed, arms crossing his chest. “You wonder why he can’t see me?” He gestured to the door, obviously referring to Hangseok. 

“Are you… a ghost?” Junhong concluded, staring at the ‘ghost’ in bewilderment. He looked more amazed than worried or frightened; what a strange human being. 

“I’m not a ghost.” Yongguk lifted his head, “I am a Sin.” 

“A sin? Is that, like a ghost or spirit?” Junhong asked, eyes wide. 

“I am the Sin of Wrath!” Yongguk snapped, anger vivid. “I fell to Earth from Hell, and I need my pendant back.” 

Junhong just stared at the Sin. Yongguk frowned; shouldn’t this kid be more freaked out by the fact that Yongguk isn’t human. He was just so, amazed. How weird…

-

Kikwang was sitting in the lecture hall, listening to his tutor talking about pulmonary vein ablation. It was only a short lecture scheduled for the morning so not many students turned up. Kikwang however went to every lecture, making sure that his grades stayed up. 

So far his 6th year was going beyond perfect. The only trouble was, he was starting to really sacrifice his social life. Kikwang sighed, looking at his watch; there was fifteen minutes left of this lecture. 

Kikwang rubbed at his eyes, feeling tired. He’s already written 4 pages of notes on this one lecture, and then he had a seminar to review when he got home. 

“And that's enough for today, thank you everyone.” The lecturer bowed his head before collecting his books, “next week we will discuss in detail about the surgery. Thank you.” And with that he left, after the students had bowed back. 

Kikwang finished off his notes as all the other students were leaving. He yawned, feeling the tiredness envelope him, for a split second. The sound of his phone buzzing caught his attention. 

The caller ID indicated that it was his best friend calling, so there was no way Kikwang would ignore him. “Hey, Dongwoon.” 

“Hi, hyung! Has your lecture finished?” Dongwoon sounded cheerier, no doubt he’d been with the children at the hospital all day.

“Only just.” Kikwang smiled, leaning on the desk. 

“You wanna go out for some drinks tonight?” Dongwoon asked. 

Kikwang sighed, rubbing at his eyes again under his glasses. He hadn’t seen Dongwoon for more than a week, but his course was really starting to get the better of all of his time. 

“Ah, I really want to but… I don’t know if I have the time.” Kikwang answered the younger honestly. He didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his scores, but he didn’t want to keep letting Dongwoon down every time he asked him out for drinks. 

“We don’t have to stay out all night. Just a couple of pints at The Four Aces.” Dongwoon sounded as though he wasn’t really going to take ‘no’ for an answer. 

Kikwang chuckled before glancing down at his almost full notebook. “I guess a couple drinks won’t hurt.” He listened to the younger cheering on the other end of the phone. 

“I’ll see you at The Four Aces at 9pm, yeah?” Dongwoon sounded happy. 

“Sure.” Kikwang heard another cheer before Dongwoon said goodbye and hung up. It would be nice to let loose and just hang out for a night. 

Kikwang collected all of his things, placing them neatly into his bag. He sighed before standing up and walking out of the lecture hall, long after everyone else. 

It was quite cold outside when Kikwang exited the building. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets, after placing an earbud into his ear. 

Kikwang bobbed his head along to the song he’d chosen as he walked away from the science campus and towards the library. It wouldn’t hurt to catch up on some of his reading. 

As he walked over the road he noticed that there weren’t actually a lot of students around. But then again it was still relatively early. 

Kikwang cattier on down the path, that was until he stood on something which made a cracking sound. Out of instinct, Kikwang turned back around, looking down at the thing he’d stepped on. 

It looked like some kind of necklace. Kikwang shrugged, turning back around and continuing to walk. He’d managed two steps before he stopped again. 

Kikwang walked back towards the necklace, crouching down and picking it up. The pendant looked extremely expensive, what with the amount of gems and jewels. 

The pendant was extremely strange, almost disturbingly so. There was a large black upside down triangular shaped diamond. There were small white diamonds outlining the triangle. At the top was three dark pink jewels, the one in the middle a little bit larger. The strange part was the amount of silver limbs that the pendant seemed to have. At the bottom there was a pair of legs that were bent at the knee and the feet pressed together. There were arms located above, one small hand over the tip of the triangle and the other near the top of the triangle. There was another pair of arms and legs. The legs were at the top, bent at the knees and the feet flat against the triangle. One of the other arms was touching the top leg, while the other was touching one of the other arms. 

Kikwang raised an eyebrow. “What sort of necklace is this?” He questioned no one. He stood back up straight, continuing his walk as he kept hold of the pendant. 

He turned the pendant over, seeing that there was writing on the back in the Latin alphabet. Luxuria. Kikwang frowned, that didn’t even sound like English. It must have been Latin. 

Once in the library, Kikwang made his way towards the third floor. The top floor of the library was for quiet study, no talking was permitted. 

Kikwang sat at the desk he always did. It was situated by the large window, which looked down to the quad. Kikwang placed his bag on the chair beside him before sitting down himself. 

Instead of immediately getting his work out, Kikwang just looked over the pendant. He held it with both hands, like it was a delicate sample from the labs. 

“I wonder who you belong to?” Kikwang whispered to himself, turning the necklace over. Maybe it was part of a club, or even a cult. The pendant design was so strange, there had to be a meaning. 

Kikwang caught sight of himself on the Mac screen in front of him. He held the pendant in front of him, seeing it in the reflection too. He couldn’t even imagine the type of place this thing could be worn at. 

Kikwang smiled to himself, “let’s see then.” He pulled the chain over his head, ready to laugh at how ridiculous he probably looked in such an ugly necklace. 

Suddenly a flash of pink light engulfed Kikwang, blinding him completely. Kikwang shut his eyes without a second thought, a small squeak of shock escaping him. 

Kikwang slowly reopened his eyes, adjusting his glasses as he did. He glanced around, seeing that nothing seemed out of place. 

“What was that light?” Kikwang glanced down at himself. The chain on the pendant was noticeably shorter, impossible to pull back over his head.

Kikwang reached around the back, only to find no clasp on the chain. He sighed, frustration building. Was this someone’s idea of a joke? Because it definitely wasn’t funny. 

The sound of a groan caught Kikwang’s attention straight away. He stood up from his chair, only to see that there was a man lying on the floor at the other side of the desk. 

The man was rubbing at his head, like he’d just fallen over. Kikwang didn’t really know what to do; what if this was a drunk student from another department. He didn’t want to get caught up in anything strange. 

The man sat up suddenly, “ow my head…” he had a deep, yet soothing voice. His black hair was currently in his face, but Kikwang did notice the dark pink streak amongst the black. 

The man was wearing what looked like a ripped black wife-beater, topped with a black sleeveless denim jacket. On his wrists were bracelet straps, accenting his arms more. The black jeans and combat boots completed the look. 

The man glanced over to Kikwang, their eyes meeting for the first time. He smirked, getting to his feet straight away. Kikwang was still standing, watching the taller man with caution. 

“Well hello, gorgeous.” The man tilted his head. He’d come a few steps closer before leaning on the desk.

Kikwang gave the man a disgusted face, wondering why he was suddenly using a flirtatious tone. They stepped closer again, instantly making Kikwang flinch away. 

“I’m Yoon Doojoon,” The man surprisingly introduced himself, “and who do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Lee Kikwang.” He didn’t want to seem rude, even if this guy was odd. 

“Cute name, Lee Kikwang.” Doojoon smirked again. His eyes glanced down a little, his flirty facade suddenly disappearing. “Why are you wearing that?” He asked, time almost panicked. 

Kikwang held the pendant, “this?” He watched Doojoon nod, his eyes glancing between Kikwang’s eyes and the pendant in his grasp. 

“That pendant is mine. Where did you find it?” Doojoon questioned seriously, walking straight up to the student. 

Kikwang backed away as the other man came closer. That was until he hit the window. Kikwang started panicking a little; this guy could probably overpower him. 

“I found it on the floor outside the library, did you drop it?” Kikwang was trying his best to stay calm; if he showed he was scared only god knows what might happen. 

“Give it.” Doojoon stood right in front of the smaller man, looking down on him with piercing eyes. 

Kikwang grabbed the pendant, trying his best to pull at the chain. He could feel the metal dig into the back of his neck, making him wince. Doojoon sighed, leaning one hand on the window by Kikwang’s head. 

“It's attached now, huh?” He sounded a little too casual for the seriousness of this situation. 

“I’ll find someone that can take it off.” Kikwang blurted, almost a bit too loudly. 

“And if you can’t?” Doojoon smirked, side eyeing the student. “What will you give me in return?” 

“Give you…?” Kikwang looked even more lost. Doojoon chuckled a little, this lost little lamb who had picked up his pendant was so cute. This could only be called luck.

“How about…” Doojoon pretended to think for a few seconds, leaving Kikwang in worried anticipation. “How about your body?” 

“What?” Kikwang looked at the man in disgust again. “Sorry, I’m not interested in that. I’ll pay you for the pendant.” He suggested instead. This guy was definitely dangerous, it was even visible in his eyes. 

“Pay? I’m not interested in money. I’m not the sin of Greed.” Doojoon placed his other hand on the window, trapping Kikwang between his arms. “I am the sin of Lust. So, you can guess what I am after.” 

“Sin of Lust?” Kikwang frowned, “what are you talking about?” 

“Well, I am the Sin of Lust. It is what I represent in the underworld, there are seven of us, obviously, to account for the deadly sins.” Doojoon looked smug as he continued. “I am an impressive sin, the one that every single person has felt at least once. Even you, right, Lee Kikwang?” 

Kikwang felt his cheeks heat up, embarrassment filling him. “I would appreciate it if you leave me alone please.” Yeah, this guy was really weird and Kikwang needed to get rid of him. 

“Sorry, baby.” Doojoon smirked, making Kikwang cringe at the pet name. “I can’t go without this.” the sin hooked his finger into the chain of the necklace, pulling Kikwang closer suddenly. 

“What the fu-”

“Kikwang-hyung? I knew that was your voice.” Dongwoon’s voice caught Kikwang’s attention. The elder stared towards Dongwoon, who was looking at him with such a strange expression. 

“D-Dongwoon, why are you here…?” Kikwang used his arm to shove at Doojoon’s chest. When had he got that close to him anyway? Doojoon basically had Kikwang pressed up to the window. 

“Why are you standing next to the window like that?” Dongwoon asked innocently. Kikwang was weirdly leaning against the window, and there was a chain and necklace that he’d never seen before. 

“Uh… this isn’t what it looks like,” Kikwang’s eyes shifted towards Doojoon. The sin just smirked at him, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“What are you doing?” Dongwoon asked. 

“I was doing some reading and then… he appeared.” Kikwang gestured to Doojoon, who looked over towards Dongwoon like he just wanted him to disappear. 

“Who?” Dongwoon frowned again, looking around the library. “Kikwang-hyung, there is no one here except us?” He walked closer, like there might be someone hiding somewhere. 

Kikwang looked back to Doojoon, eyes wide with worry and shock. Doojoon shook his head, “he can’t see me.” He spoke in his loud voice, but Dongwoon had absolutely no reaction.

Kikwang scooted around Doojoon, making his way towards Dongwoon. “There’s just me… right?” He asked, his tone a little shaky. 

“Hyung, are you okay?” Dongwoon placed his hand on the elder’s forehead. “You’re not sick are you? Have you been overworking yourself again?” 

“No.” Kikwang shook his head, glancing behind him again. Dongwoon was starting to get worried; Kikwang was acting really suspicious and edgy.

“Do you wanna call off the drinks tonight?” Dongwoon asked, “I think you should get some rest tonight.” 

“What? No!” Kikwang turned back to look at the younger, his head shaking to illustrate his point. “It’s been a long time since we’ve hung out together.”

“Kikwang, you’re clearly not well, I can tell.” Dongwoon chuckled, “I am a doctor in training you know.” 

“So am I.” Kikwang pouted. He felt a sudden warmth wrap around his shoulders, making him shudder. 

Doojoon wrapped his arms around Kikwang’s shoulders, leaning his chin on the human’s head. Kikwang tensed up, only to make Dongwoon look more worried. 

“Are you sure you haven’t got a cold?” Dongwoon was so worried; he’d seen Kikwang sick before from overworking, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. 

“I… I’m okay.” Kikwang nodded, though he could feel Doojoon’s breath on his neck. 

“I’ll go get you some water.” Dongwoon quickly turned around, speed walking towards the doors. 

“Wait, I’m- Okay…” Kikwang sighed. There was no stopping Dongwoon when he had his mind set. He would definitely make a great pediatrician one day. 

Kikwang suddenly elbowed Doojoon in the ribs, causing him to stumble back. “Let go of me!” He hissed, glaring at the sin. 

Doojoon just smirked, nodding his head. “You’re cute.” 

“How come he can’t see you?” Kikwang stepped back, eyes wide with worry. 

“No one can, except the human who wears my pendant.” Doojoon’s eyes glanced down to the pendant around Kikwang’s neck again. 

“I… I don’t understand.” Kikwang was starting to panic inside. “What are you if… Dongwoon can’t see you…?” 

“A sin.” Doojoon shrugged, before glancing around the library. “Hmm, so many books.”

Kikwang collapsed onto his swivel chair, head in his hands. What is this that he’d walked into? 

-

Minsu sat on a small table in his favourite coffee shop. He had earphones in as he wrote some important dates down on his notebook. Psychology was a difficult subject after all. 

He was on his third coffee since he’d arrived two hours ago. Minsu yawned, before rubbing his eyes. Reading through tiny text for hours really does take its toll. 

“Would you like another coffee?” The barista had walked up to Minsu. His name was Sunwoo, and Minsu could possibly class them as near friends. 

Since Minsu has come to this cafe, Sunwoo was always in. Minsu pulled out his earphones, “do I look like I need another one?” He smiled a little. 

Sunwoo just chuckled. “You should take a break sometimes.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Every time you’re in here you’re always working. I’m worried about you.” 

“I’m fine, hyung.” Minsu didn’t even know when he’d grown comfortable calling Sunwoo hyung. But then again, Sunwoo had insisted on day four. 

“You look tired, and pale.” Sunwoo frowned a little before leaning on his palm against the table. “I’ll get you some water.” And with that he turned back around. 

“Hey, hyung.” Minsu called out but the elder had already gone. He sighed, before shaking his head.

Minsu leaned back on his chair, looking out of the window. It had already gotten dark outside, the cars passing by had their headlights on. 

“So tired…” Minsu mumbled to himself, before stretching his arms over his head. 

Sunwoo returned with a glass of water. “Here. You shouldn’t just fill up on coffee, it’s not good for your health.” 

“Should you be saying that to a customer that gives you great business?” Minsu looked up at the elder , a playful smirk. 

“Aish! This kid!” Sunwoo playfully retaliated. Minsu just chuckled, before reaching for the water. 

“Thanks for this, hyung.” Minsu held up his glass in a cheering fashion. 

Sunwoo smiled, before the sound of the door opening caught his attention. “Welcome.” He greeted the customers before turning back to Minsu. “Make sure you take care of yourself.” 

Minsu nodded before watching Sunwoo return to the till. Minsu day back in his chair again, just staring out the window. His phone pinged, signalling an unread message. 

Minsu didn’t even need to look, he knew who it was from. He felt bad for not replying to Kitaek regularly, but then again, he didn’t want his little brother to worry about him all the time. 

Minsu quickly finished his water, and packed his stuff. After slinging his bag on his arm, he walked over towards the counter. 

“Minsu, you’re leaving?” Sunwoo asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Yeah.” Minsu just wanted to head home. He’d continue his work there, or maybe he’d just sleep for a while. Whatever he felt like when he got there. 

“Well,” Sunwoo logged onto the till, before looking back at the younger. “That’ll be 7000 won.” 

“That seems chea-“

“Buh! It’s fine.” Sunwoo smiled sweetly at Minsu, reassuring him completely. 

Minsu knew that arguing would be futile. He pulled two 5000 won notes from his wallet, passing them to the elder. “Keep the change as a tip.” 

Sunwoo just chuckled, shaking his head as he watched Minsu go. He really did worry about the younger, especially since he seemed to always be alone. 

Minsu placed his earbuds back into his ears, starting up a new song. He shoved his hands into his pockets, making his way towards Sonic studio. 

Since it was only a short walk, Minsu decided to be a detour, just to get an extra few minutes of fresh air. He walked over Mapo bridge, before stopping half way across the bridge. 

Minsu leaned on the banister, looking out at Han River. The moon was reflected onto the surface of the water and even though the city lights drowned out most of its shine, it was still visible. 

Minsu sighed, leaning on his crossed arms. He smiled softly to himself. It was moments like this that made him feel at peace. Sometimes he needed this time to himself. 

He was about to push off and head home when something caught his eye. There was something hanging from one of the architectural spiral decors of the bridge. 

“What the…” Minsu pulled himself up onto the banister, holding onto it tight. He reached down, grabbing onto what could only be a necklace.

Minsu frowned as he landed back on his feet. He quickly looked around, just in case there was anyone around that might be looking for it. 

There was no one around, just Minsu on his lonesome. He frowned, quickly looking at the pendant that he was holding tightly. It was still dark, so Minsu couldn’t see the pendant well but the moonlight was reflecting on the jewels. 

Minsu carried on across the bridge, still trying to figure out the necklace. Once he walked under a street lamp, Minsu actually took a long look at the pendant. 

The pendant was beautiful. There was a large dark blue sapphire in the middle. There were small pink diamonds surrounding the sapphire. On each side there looked like golden talons gripping to the pendant. At the bottom there was a silver charm, with three little appendages. On each side of the silver charm were two pink diamonds, the two closest just a little bit bigger than the further out. At the top of the pendant was another pink jewel, surrounded by the same small pink diamonds. At each side there were three silver feathers, the tips having a pink gem attached. The ring holding onto the chain was also shaped like a feather. The entire vibe of the pendant screamed ‘peacock’, beautiful and proud. 

“How did it get on the bridge?” Minsu leaned against the lamppost, raising an eyebrow. 

Whoever the pendant belonged too would obviously want it back. This thing probably cost a fortune. Minsu sighed, starting up his walking again. 

Minsu clenched his fist around the necklace, feeling the edges in his palm. He’d stopped in front of a closed shop, looking at his reflection. 

Minsu glanced down at the necklace again, before his reflection. He wasn’t really a big fan of jewellery, since it didn’t really do much for his appearance. 

“Well, let’s see.” Minsu held the necklace by the long chain, holding it up to see it in perspective. 

Minsu raised an eyebrow as he looked over his reflection. Why was the chain so long anyway? Minsu slowly started to examine the chain, seeing that there wasn’t a clasp. 

“Must be an overhead necklace.” Minsu had seen some girls with long necklaces before; some kind of style. 

Minsu sighed. He shrugged, pulling the necklace over his head, laughing to himself at the style. That was, until a bright blue light suddenly blinded him, making him stumble back. 

Minsu stumbled back, his foot catching on the lamppost. He fell to the ground, landing on his butt. “Ow, fuck!” Minsu exclaimed as he hissed in pain. 

The light had faded away, leaving only the dim light of the street light. “What the hell was that?” Minsu frowned, slowly getting back to his feet. 

“Probably me.” A deep voice sounded from behind. Minsu jumped, quickly turning around. He stumbled into the lamppost, needing it for support. 

“Who- and you are?” Minsu kept his voice assertive, not wanting to show any signs of weakness. 

The man stepped forwards, now in the view of the light. Minsu couldn’t help but look away for a split second. This guy wasn’t wearing a shirt, only what could only be described as a black hoodie - which was unzipped to the bottom.

To top off the look was some black skinny jeans and black combat boots. They fitted his legs nicely, too nicely. His hair was as black as his whole demeanor, except for the dark blue streak that was relatively hidden. 

Minsu shook his head, clearing all of the thoughts. “What do you want then?” He asked, straightening up again. He was trying to figure out the best escape route, just in case this guy happened to be a psycho. 

The man looked down at Minsu’s chest, eyes fixated on the pendant. “Do you just take what isn’t yours?” He questioned, tone darkening by the second. 

Minsu glanced down at himself, only just now noticing the chain around his neck had grown a lot shorter. “What…?” He grabbed the pendant harshly, “is this thing yours?” He glared at the taller man. 

“Yes. So what was going through your head when you just took it?” He tilted his head, staring at the other like he was worthless. 

“It was hanging off the bridge. You obviously didn’t want it.” Minsu retorted, he didn’t care who this guy was, but he had no right to talk to Minsu with such a degrading tone. 

“I misplaced it.” The man nearly growled. “So give it back.” 

“Take it then!” Minsu yanked at the chain, but it didn’t break, it only dug into his neck, marring his flesh. “Uh… fuck…” 

“Your attempt is nothing but futile.” The man chuckled, mockingly.

“What the fuck!? You just told me to give it back to you!” Minsu snapped. He didn’t usually raise his voice at people, he usually just walked away, not wanting to make a scene. 

The man chuckled again. “My name is not ‘you’.” He straightened up, his eyes capturing Minsu’s straight away. “ My name is Jo Wonjun, and it would do you well to remember from now on.”

“What the hell…? I don’t care who you are!” Minsu turned on his heel, storming away from the guy. He’d had enough of this guy, he didn’t care if the pendant belonged to him, there was no proof of that anyway. 

The man, Wonjun, followed after Minsu. He could feel Wonjun’s eyes glaring at the back of his head. Minsu pulled his coat on tighter, the cold wind starting to bite. 

Minsu glanced behind him, only to see Wonjun still following. “Quit following after me. You clearly don’t care about this pendant, so give it a rest.” He huffed as he turned around, hands digging into his pockets.

Wonjun just raised an eyebrow. So this was the human that had picked up his pendant; a rude, illmanned, loud brat. Wonjun sighed, just his luck. Not only that, he had to find the other Sins, they could be anywhere. Maybe humans had picked up their pendants too. 

Wonjun glanced around as he followed the human up a hill. It was a dark and dreary place, not very well lit. Minsu shuddered, feeling even more cold. Thankfully he is almost home. 

When he was close enough, Minsu started running, hoping that this last spurt would be enough to lose Jo Wonjun. He ran straight through the doors of Sonic Studio, slamming the door shut behind him. 

“Woah, Minnie, what’s the rush?” Jaehwan asked from where he was sitting on the floor, laptop on his lap. He had his glasses on, so he must have been doing paperwork. 

“Ah, evening, hyung.” Minsu bowed his head, still leaning against the door.He definitely shut that guy out for good now. 

Jaehwan quickly glanced down to his watch, seeing that it was quite late. “Shit, is it that late already.” 

“Ah, are you heading home after this, hyung?” Minsu asked, his earlier annoyance starting to fade. 

“Yeah,” Jaehwan yawned, before looking back down at his laptop, “I’m just gonna finish up this page of paperwork then I’ll head out.” 

“Take your time, hyung. You don’t have to compensate for… me…?” Minsu’s expression suddenly fell, a chill running up his spine. In front of him, just to the right by the ceiling-to-floor mirrors was Jo Wonjun. 

Wonjun glanced around the dance studio, an eyebrow raised at how small it was. “Uh, I…” Minsu was in shock. How on Earth did Jo Wonjun get into the studio, Minsu was still standing in front of the door. How…? 

“You okay, Minsu?” Jaehwan frowned, seeing the younger staring towards the mirrors. Jaehwan looked towards the mirrors, following where Minsu was looking. 

Jaehwan looked back to the younger, a confused expression on his face. “What are you looking at? It’s not a spider or something right? I cleaned this whole place today, so there shouldn't be dust or dirt or-”

“Do you know him?” Minsu asked, cutting the elder off. 

“What? Who? Who do I know?” Jaehwan was starting to get really confused now. “Are you messing with me? Because if you are I’m not down for it, I’m tired and achy and want my bed.” 

“Please, hyung.” Minsu narrowed his eyes at Jaehwan. “He is right there! You know him, right? That’s why there’s no reaction, you know Jo Wonjun, right?” 

“Who?” Jaehwan sighed, closing his laptop. “You’re making no sense, Minsu. I’m not in the mood for pranks and shit. I’m seriously tired.” 

“But he’s… right there.” Minsu pointed towards the mirrors, where Wonjun was now leaning against the glass with his arms crossed. 

Jaehwan looked one last time, his frown turning into an eyeroll. “Welp, I’m gonna go home.” He stood up, simultaneously shoving his laptop into his bag. “I love you, Minsu, but I’m too tired for these ghost games.” 

“But, hyung, he-”

“Minsu.” Jaehwan walked over towards Minsu, who was still standing by the front door. “I’m heading home. Make sure you turn off the lights and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He pulled Minsu into a one-armed hug, and patted his back with a hard thump. 

“Wait, hyung, I-!”

“Bye-bye!” Jaehwan shut the door before Minsu could get a word in. He even heard Jaehwan lock the door from the outside.

Minsu sighed deeply, before turning around again. He yelped when Wonjun was right in front of him, only centimetres from his face. Wonjun’s facial expression was completely 

“What the fuck are you!?” Minsu snapped, suddenly shoving Wonjun by the chest - though he only took one step back. He had a strong chest, and Minsu could touch him, he clearly wasn’t a ghost. Right…? 

Wonjun rolled his eyes, turning back around from the human. “Is this where you live then? Nothing special, is it?” 

“Hey! Who are you to judge me?” Minsu wanted to seriously punch this guy in the face. What was his deal? 

“You don’t seem to be an impressive person from what I see.” Wonjun hadn’t been blind to the world as it evolved over time. He knew that this was a dance studio, but it was very small. 

Minsu side stepped around, like Jo Wonjun was some kind of wild animal. “I’ll ask again…” He kept his tone low, keeping the calmness as best he could. “What exactly are you? Jaehwan-hyung couldn’t see you, so you’re not… human?” 

Wonjun slowly turned around, staring at the human. He was so small, this human brat. Wonjun could probably crush him in his arms, this guy was so delicate. 

“Your name is ‘Minsu’?” Wonjun asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“Don’t change the subject.” Minsu needed to be determined. For some reason, it seemed like Wonjun was starting to avoid the question. 

Wonjun sighed. He’d have to tell this human anyway, he had his pendant so it’s not like he would be leaving anytime soon. He stared at Minsu, who was still in his coat and holding onto his bag like a lifeline. 

“Are you a ghost?” Minsu quizzed, seeing as though Wonjun was silent. Did ghosts even exist? But this guy definitely wasn’t human. 

“Not a ghost.” Wonjun answered, thinking that he couldn’t keep the human in the dark forever. “I am a Sin.” 

“A sin? The hell does that mean?” Minsu was shifting towards the stairs. Maybe if he ran to his room and locked the door - but Wonjun got in through the front door when Minsu was in front of it so…

“I’m not a ghost, I guess the closest would be a demon.” Wonjun explained, eyes fixated on every little move Minsu made. “I am from Hell, and I am the Sin Of Pride.” 

“Pride?” Minsu scoffed; that explained a lot. Why Wonjun seemed so judgmental of Minsu, and how he had an aura of an extremely big ego. 

“Yes. I assume you’ve heard of the Seven Deadly Sins before.” Wonjun raised an eyebrow, his judgemental stare back. 

“I’m not big on religion. Doesn’t interest me.” Minsu wouldn’t give this guy the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t really care who he was anyway, he just wanted him to leave and never come back. 

Wonjun huffed a chuckle, his mouth curling into a sly catlike smirk. “You don’t have to be interested, but now you have no choice.”

“What the hell? Of course I have a choice.” Minsu gritted his teeth. “You don’t have any power over me. You can’t say shit!” 

Wonjun suddenly stormed forwards, his forearm across Minsu’s chest as he shoved him into the wall. Minsu gasped, dropping his bag as his back hit the wall. 

“I may not be from this world, but you would do well not to provoke me.” Wonjun’s eyes narrowed, glaring straight into Minsu’s widened orbs. “Humans are weak, giving into their sins to consume only what they believe to be right.” 

Minsu brought his knee up, suddenly maneuvering until he kicked Wonjun in the abdomen. The sin stumbled backwards this time, not expecting the power behind the kick. Minsu was small, but he wasn’t weak. 

“You’re calling humans weak because of their sins, but you’re a sin, right? Isn’t that what you were saying!” Minsu didn’t understand anything that was happening. Was he just sleeping and having a trippy dream?

Wonjun laughed. Minsu frowned at the sin, he was starting to annoy him. “Why me?” Minsu quickly asked, really wanting to know the answer. 

“You brought it on yourself.” Wonjun walked up to the human, placing a hand on the wall behind his head. He leaned over, towering over Minsu with his height. 

“How?” Minsu kept a stern expression, even though he was internally scared. Wonjun claimed to be a Sin, a demon. God only knows what he was capable of. 

“You picked it up didn’t you?” Wonjun’s eyes shifted down to the necklace, tracing the chain with his gaze down to the pendant. 

“You didn’t want it, you must have thrown it off the bridge!” Minsu refused to believe that any of this was his fault. 

“My pendant is created from my true Sin and the essence of my old human soul.” Wonjun reached out, but retracted his hand. “Once you wore it, my pendant has now fused with your human soul.”

“W-what does that mean…?” Minsu couldn’t stop the stutter. 

“It means that I can exist in this world, because of your soul. You can see me because we are connected.” Wonjun explained thoroughly. “The stronger the connection the more physical my being becomes in this world.” 

“How… how can I undo this?” Minsu didn’t want to be a part of this. He had his life to live, university to complete, get a job, a girlfriend. Anything but being possessed by a sin. 

“I haven’t worked that over yet.” Wonjun sighed, stroking back away from the human. “There is no way to get my pendant off you than to cut your head off.” 

Minsu instantly jolted back in pure fear. That was definitely a threat. Wonjun chuckled at the fear in the human’s eyes. 

“But, if I kill you, I do not know if that will affect my soul or not.” Wonjun clarified, watching Minsu visibly relax. “So for now I will let you live. I need your soul to keep me materialised in this world as I find them.” 

“Find them?” Minsu managed to croak out, still feeling a little shaken by the fact he was seriously threatened. 

“I mentioned before about the Seven Deadly Sins.” Wonjun reminded. 

“Seven…?” Minsu didn’t actually want to think about more of these demon people around. 

“The Seven Sins are Pride, Lust, Wrath, Envy, Greed, Sloth and Gluttony.” Wonjun explained, feeling as though this human needed to know. “We are each represented by a living soul that is trapped in Hell. I was the first Sin, Pride, chosen by Lucifer himself. I was then to choose the others and bring them to Hell.

“Now, Lucifer has gotten bored and decided to throw us to Earth again for his entertainment. I am in charge of finding the others, as they will not go back to Hell willingly.” 

“Why not?” Minsu interrupted the explanation, giving the man a skeptical look. 

Wonjun sighed, rolling his eyes a little. “It doesn’t matter about their opinions. They must return to Hell.” 

“What if they’re all the same as you? Soul bonding crap.” Minsu reminded Wonjun of the most frustrating part of all of this. 

“I need to figure out how to separate our souls, then I will separate them from their humans.” Wonjun growled at the thought. “Humans are annoying creatures.” He glared towards Minsu. 

“Hey! Do not lump all humans together! Some are generous and close to damn perfect.” Minsu snapped, angry at this Sin’s behaviour and attitude. 

“Look,” Wonjun frowned, “humans are not pure. No one is, you too only give into your sins.” 

Minsu thought back to the seven sins that Wonjun had listed off. Out of all of them, there wasn’t one that really stood out to him. 

“How was it decided that you would be Pride?” Minsu turned the tables once again. 

Wonjun smirked, chuckling a little. “I am good at what I do, and I am proud of it. I’m not afraid to tell you how good I am, but I don’t care about your opinion anyway.” 

“You’re just stuck up your own ass.” Minsu declared. He shrugged off his coat, hanging it onto the small hooks by the front door. 

Wonjun watched Minsu walk up the small stairs towards his small room area. Wonjun followed after the human, seeing him going through the door to the right on the tiny landing. 

Wonjun easily walked in after Minsu, scanning around the small room. There was a single bed, a desk and chair, wardrobe and a small footless sofa. Wonjun frowned, not impressed in the slightest. 

“This is how you live?” Wonjun scoffed, his arms crossing over his chest.

Minsu clenched his jaw, his fists clenching at his sides. “Why are you in my room? You can live downstairs in the studio.” 

Wonjun only scoffed again, walking over towards Minsu’s bed and sitting down, “I deserve comfort for as long as I stay here.”

“What? I am not obligated to look after you. You’re a grown man, take care of yourself.” Minsu stood in front of the Sin,hands on his hips as he frowned. 

“You forget that our souls being linked is the only thing that is saving your life right now, so don’t push your luck with me.” Wonjun really did have a threatening voice. Minsu held back a visible shudder, just in case he showed weakness.

“Fine, you can stay up here.” Minsu didn’t want to keep fighting this guy all night. He had classes tomorrow and he wasn’t skipping. “But you have to sleep on the sofa.” 

“I don’t need much sleep anyway.” Wonjun shrugged, standing up from the single bed. He walked past Minsu, brushing their arms as he did. 

Minsu noticed that Wonjun was colder compared to a human, but he was real. So real in fact that Minsu was still coming to terms with everything Wonjun had speed told him about who and what he was. 

Wonjun sat down on the divan, leaning against the one armrest. His eyes directed downwards, probably lost in his own thoughts for now. 

Minsu slowly sat down on his bed, eyes always watching the sin. It was hard to read Wonjun’s expression, since it looked like a mix of annoyed and angry, to confused and melancholy. 

Minsu couldn’t even comprehend how his daily life was going to change from now on. Surely this guy wouldn’t follow him around and interrupt his life. But then again, Minsu was clueless. 

Minsu leaned back on his palms, letting his head fall back as he stared at the ceiling. He was just going to have to see how it all progressed from here. Surely life couldn’t get worse.


	5. V

Joon slowly opened his eyes, looking up at his bedroom ceiling. The soft sound of snoring beside him, and the smell of booze was enough to tell him that Hyeongkon was still there. 

Joon turned onto his side, looking over the younger. Hyeongkon was still in his suit from the night before, his hair disheveled and cute. Joon couldn’t stop the smile that appeared. 

After a few good minutes of just staring at Hyeongkon’s face, Joon decided to get up. He went into the bathroom for a quick shower, knowing that he had to be on the afternoon shift later. 

Joon pulled on his boxers before draping his towel over his shoulders. He walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen area, wanting a nice cup of coffee to really wake him up. 

That was, until he saw a figure sitting on the sofa. Joon jumped with a yelp, falling into the table. Seungho immediately stood up from the sofa, making his way towards the human. 

“Are you okay?” Seungho asked, though his tone didn’t sound too concerned. 

“I… Why are you still here?” Joon’s eyes were wide, looking at the Sin with disbelief. Couldn't he have just dreamed last night, or whatever. To think that this guy was still here.

“What’s wrong, Joon…?” Hyeongkon yawned, rubbing at his eyes. “I heard you scream?”

Seungho raised an eyebrow, stepping back a little as Hyeongkon approached. Joon instantly got to his feet, dusting himself down. Seungho watched the humans, especially Joon, his body language seemed to completely change. 

“I just tripped.” Joon smiled sweetly. Seungho narrowed his eyes; was Joon putting up this sweet and helpless front. He looked like the kind of guy that could easily fight back. 

“You didn’t have to scream so loud,” Hyeongkon ruffled his hair. “My head hurts…” 

“That’s what you get for drinking.” Joon continued his task of making the coffee. Hyeongkon shuffled over towards the sofa, flopping down onto it with ease. 

Seungho walked over towards the sofa too, wanting to observe this human too. Hyeongkon, as Joon had called him, seemed to have a strange aura. Something about him gave Seungho the wrong impression. 

“Are you not at work today?” Joon asked, pouring coffee for the both of them. He sat beside the younger, passing him his mug. 

“Nah, I have a day off from all the overtime that I’ve been doing.” Hyeongkon stared into his mug as he spoke, before taking a sip. 

Seungho scoffed, capturing Joon’s attention. The human glared at him, but tried to be discreet about it. After all, Hyeongkon couldn’t see Seungho. 

Hyeongkon glanced towards Joon, his eyes looking down at the elder. Joon was only in his boxers and had a towel around his neck - but, that wasn’t the only thing around his neck. 

“I thought you weren’t into jewellery?” Hyeongkon leaned back on the sofa, raising an eyebrow at Joon. He was staring at the pendant around his neck. “And a really depressing one too. A crying eye?” 

“It’s not mine.” Joon frowned. 

Hyeongkon’s eyes instantly shot up, staring straight into Joon’s brown orbs. “Who’s is it then?” 

Joon’s cheeks suddenly flushed, shame filling him as he was put on the spot. His eyes glanced over towards Seungho, who was standing glaring at them both. 

“Uh, I’m gonna give it back to him when I figure out how to get it off…” Joon mumbled out, eyes glancing away from Hyeongkon. The younger raised an eyebrow, frowning at Joon’s explanation. 

“That doesn’t tell me who it is though?” Hyeongkon frowned, the furrow between his brows getting deeper. 

“Oh, uh…. He’s called Yang Seungho…?” Joon tried, eyes automatically looking at the same person. Seungho just shrugged, curious as to how this would play out.

“Where did you meet this guy?” Hyeongkon’s eyes narrowed, glaring at the elder. 

“Uh, on the street, he dropped this and then-”

“You met a guy in the street and found his necklace and now you’re wearing it? You even know the guy’s name?” Hyeongkon was starting to sound a little angered, but at the same time Seungho couldn’t help but think that the human was putting it on a bit too much. 

“Don’t be jealous.” Joon smiled softly, ruffling Hyeongkon’s hair. “You know you’re the only one.” 

Hyeongkon pouted, but let the elder pet him. Seungho scoffed, his arms crossed over his chest. “That’s not real Envy.” He was confident in his Sin, and this Hyeongkon guy seemed too forced. 

Joon glared towards Seungho, hearing what he just said. Hyeongkon gently pushed Joon’s hand away, straightening out his hair. “You’re at work today right?”

The change in topic made Joon relax a little, seeing as though Hyeongkon seemed to be over it. Or, whatever it was. 

“Yes, I am doing the afternoon shift…” Joon fluttered his eyes a little. Seungho could see the hope there, it was almost pitiful. He really did try for this Hyeongkon guy. 

“When you finish work lets go on a date.” Hyeongkon grinned, “I wanna go to Coex Aquarium, and then we can have dinner.” 

Joon’s entire being lit up, the happiness in his expression radiant. Seungho was actually a little surprised by how happy Joon looked. Wow, he was actually pretty cute. The way that his teeth would show, how his eyes and nose would scrunch up. So cute…

Seungho quickly shook his head, clearing those thoughts from his mind. Why did he find this human cute? He was only a human, one that had Seungho trapped here due to the link in their souls. 

“I would love to.” Joon answered, hugging Hyeongkon. The younger chuckled, patting Joon’s soft brown hair. “I love you!”

“Yeah, me too.” Hyeongkon smiled softly, before it faded away a little. Seungho gave them a skeptical look, not liking the suspiciousness around Hyeongkon. He seemed… odd. Too odd. 

-

Joon had made him and Hyeongkon lunch before heading off towards work. He was walking towards his Range Rover, Seungho right behind him. 

“You can stay at my apartment, you know.” Joon sighed, turning around and giving the Sin an unimpressed face. 

“I do not know how far away your work is, or how far apart we can be without consequences.” Seungho explained, eyes extremely serious. Joon sighed, turning his back on the Sin and getting into his Range Rover. 

Seungho appeared in the passenger seat anyway, just looking down at seating. This was a new experience for him; he’d never actually sat in a car before.

“You look confused.” Joon commented, seeing the Sin look around the interior. 

“This is a first time for me.” Seungho said in a deadpan tone, “I have never sat in a car, and this is quite a big one. More comfortable than I expected.” 

“You’ve never sat in a car?” Joon chuckled a little, making Seungho turn to him. The Sin gave Joon a blank look. 

“My era was before cars existed.” Seungho clarified, leaning back in the chair. 

Joon quickly put on his seatbelt, starting up the car. “Your era? What year are you from exactly?” This was a weird conversation, even to Joon himself and he was asking the questions. 

“I don’t know the exact year. We didn’t pay close attention to the times back then. I just know that it was a long, long time ago.” Seungho crossed his arms over his chest.

“If you’re from such a long time ago, why don’t you speak or dress old-timely?” Joon started to car, pulling out from the carpark and towards the main road. 

Seungho’s head started looking about, obviously experiencing how a car moves for the first time. “The other Sins, there are a lot of decades, even centuries between our arrivals in Hell.” 

“Oh, really?” Joon knew that there were seven Sins all together. 

“Lucifer gives us our attire, and since we can watch humans from Hell, we have seen how you have all evolved and how you have improved.” Seungho sounded a little sad while he spoke, Joon could even see the misery in his face. 

“Hey, how does it happen?” Joon asked, unable to stop himself. 

“How does that happen?” Seungho didn’t quite understand. 

“Becoming a Sin or whatever? How does it happen…?” Joon turned a sharp right, making the both of them jolt and lean.

“Well,” Seungho frowned, “you die.” 

“I’m sorry.” Joon suddenly felt really guilty for asking. He didn’t want to pry into Seungho’s life, knowing how he died and everything. It seemed a bit too personal. 

“Don’t be.” Seungho sighed, glancing away and out the window. “I still have the same appearance as when I died, so I guess you could say I am still in my early thirties. And have been for a very long time.” 

Joon just nodded; so they were similar in age. Kind of anyway. “I don’t want to bring back bad memories for you, so you don’t have to answer anything.” 

Seungho smiled, head leaning against the window still. “Thank you, but it’s not as bad of a death as you’re probably thinking.” 

Joon glanced to the Sin, but still focused on his driving. They were almost at his work, and it was starting to get a little awkward.

“Jo Wonjun, the Sin of Pride was the first Sin.” Seungho suddenly spoke up again. “He was the one that came to Earth to get each and every one of us. We can only become sins by committing one ourselves.”

“You’re the Sin of Envy, right?” Joon was actually extremely interested in Seungho. It was still unbelievable, all of it. But, Joon didn’t want to just accept it. He wanted to know everything about it all. 

“Yes, so my commited sin is to do with Envy.” Seungho sighed, “Wonjun chose me above all others.” He glanced back towards Joon, seeing as they were pulling into his space at work. “It is not something I am completely proud of.” 

“I see.” Joon said as he turned off the engine. He got out of his car, locking it after slamming the door shut. Seungho had ended up beside him anyway. 

Joon jumped a little at the sudden appearance. “How do you do that? That, teleportation?” 

“Ah, well. We can all do it.” Seungho shrugged, “I guess it's to do with the spirit disembodiment. Because we’re not humans.” He followed Joon into the call centre, eyes searching around the building. 

Joon signed in before getting into the elevator. Seungho looked almost impressed by the machine. Joon watched him, a small smile appearing on his face. 

Seungho jolted as the lift moved, taking them to their designated floor. Joon’s smile became bigger, followed by a little chuckle. The Sin immediately looked at him. 

“What’s so funny?” Seungho questioned. 

“You’re actually a lot more cuter than I first thought.” Joon’s eyes widened suddenly, “I-I mean… I-it’s just…!”

Seungho watched Joon’s cheeks turn pink and his eyes become downcast. Joon cleared his throat, thankful that the lift doors opened. He strolled out, ignoring the thoughts that had just been said. 

Joon sat down at his desk, getting his headset ready. Seungho just stood behind him, staring at the computer as it loaded up. Joon logged in and got ready for his shift. 

A few hours passed by and Joon was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Seungho was still standing behind him, looking over his shoulder and listening to him talk in his earpiece to customers.

Joon tried to sympathise, after all, Seungho was from an era where this technology didn’t exist. But, at the same time, he had told Joon that the Seven Sins were kept up-to-date with the current times of Earth. 

“Seungho…” Joon whispered, turning his head to look behind him. “Can you please stop towering over me?” He had such a quiet voice, obviously not wanting to sound crazy talking to himself. 

“I don't tower over anyone normally.” Seungho chuckled to himself. 

“I’m just taking a bathroom break.” Joon called out to whoever was listening. 

He made his way out of the call room, towards the bathroom. Seungho obviously followed after, almost like a lost puppy. Joon turned back to the Sin when they were safe and alone in the bathroom. 

“I can’t concentrate on my calls if you’re behind me like that, okay?” Joon didn't know why, but Seungho was very distracting. 

“I can’t go too far from you.” Seungho reminded, “but I am sorry for making you uncomfortable.”

“No it’s not that it’s just…” Joon only just noticed that Seungho was actually shorter than him. But, even though Seungho was short, his eyes were strong and he was extremely handsome. 

“Are the other Sins… the same age and height as you?” Joon asked, eyes looking over Seungho seriously. 

“Do you really need to ask this?” Seungho rolled his eyes. 

“I didn’t mean to ask… I’m just distracted by all these questions I want to ask you; so getting back to the original question.” Joon shook his head, getting the thoughts out of his head. “Can you explore the building or something? Just for a few hours until my shift ends?” 

Seungho sighed, before nodding slightly. “Of course, I still have some things to try and find out too.” Seungho looked back up at Joon, before walking past him. “I will also find out how far I can go before my physical form diminishes.” 

“Okay…” Joon nodded, but didn’t get much else in before Seungho disappeared, only faded green smoke left in his wake. “Seungho?” Joon frowned but the Sin was already gone. 

Seungho did just as Joon said. He walked around the call centre, looking around the dull interior and the dull people that seemed to work in the other rooms. 

Seungho walked towards one of the conference rooms, where there seemed to be a meeting. The sin walked into the room, the door creaking open. “Who opened that door?” One of the men said while staring at the doorway. 

“Maybe the door is old?” One of the other men said before slamming the door shut. 

Seungho listened to their conversation for a while before he got bored. He exited the room through teleportation this time, not wanting them to panic that much. 

Seungho walked around the building, exploring the different floors. He came to the conclusion that it was boring. He sat down in what was the break room, on a rather uncomfy sofa. 

Seungho sighed for the nth time that day, lolling his head up and staring at the ceiling. He still needed to find a way to separate his and Joon’s soul, but he didn’t know how. 

What if breaking his pendant chain would destroy him? There could be a lot worse consequences. What if Joon died in the process? Seungho didn’t want an innocent human to die for his sake, just so he could stay in his form as Lucifer’s collectible. 

Seungho frowned; did he want to go back to Hell? Back to his cage…? “Fuck no.” Seungho growled, before leaning on his clenched fists. 

Was there a way for them to separate their souls, but also for Seungho to stay on Earth. If he could become fully human again, live again, how amazing would that be. Growing old was something that never occured to Seungho, he’d never really thought about such things.

“I wonder…” Seungho wanted to know what he’d look like as an old, grey man. Aging, gaining more knowledge, actually enjoying life with someone. To die naturally, to go to Heaven (or even Hell again) and to finally reincarnate. Anything. 

After a few hours of sitting on the sofa, Seungho opened his eyes. He was still in his sitting position, but he’d fallen into a sleep-like state of subconsciousness. 

There was a sudden jolt that ran through him, forcing his body to wake up entirely. Seungho instantly looked at his hands, seeing that they were becoming see through. 

“Shit.” Seungho quickly stood up, walking over towards the window. He looked out into the car park, seeing Joon walking towards the Range Rover they’d arrived in. 

Seungho growled a little before disappearing into a puff of green smog. 

Joon was currently on the phone. “Shall I meet you straight at Coex?” He asked in a happy tone. 

“Yeah, I’m on the subway now.” Hyeongkon answered on the other end. 

“Great! I’ll see you there.” Joon waited for the younger to say bye before hanging up the phone. 

Joon smiled to himself; it had been a long time since him and Hyeongkon had been on a date. He was actually excited for it. 

Joon was still messing on his phone when he walked straight into someone. “I’m sorry.” Joon quickly apologised before looking up. “Oh, Seungho.” 

“Did you forget that I was still here?” Seungho questioned, his tone kind of dark. 

“N-no, I was distracted.” Joon pointed to his phone. “Hyeongkon called about our date and I-”

“You don’t have to feed me excuses.” Seungho frowned, “I know that I’m just a nuisance for you. I don’t like how our souls are linked as well, so don’t try and shake me off to talk to him.” 

Joon was actually a little taken back by the tone Seungho used. The way he had said ‘him’ sounded as though he was jealous. 

“Are you jealous?” Joon asked, in a state of complete disbelief. 

Seungho’s eyes widened, looking at Joon like he’d grown ears. “I apologise.” He bowed his head a little. “My Sin gets the better of me unnecessarily.” 

“Even so… why would you get jealous over me? We don’t know a lot about each other.” Joon had only known the sin a day after all. 

“It’s probably because our souls are linked.” Seungho shrugged, “I am sorry.” 

The ride to Coex was awkward. Seungho had sat in the back of the car, wanting to experience what it was like. Joon glanced at the Sin through the rearview mirror. 

Joon felt his chest ache with guilt. He felt as though he’d pushed Seungho into a corner; opened up old wounds. 

When they’d parked, Joon led them towards Coex. Seungho was once again fascinated by the sheer size of the plaza, and they were only in the entrance. 

Joon could tell that what just happened meant nothing to Seungho, but he couldn’t help the guilt. The Sin had apologised to him more than three times in one day. 

“Seungho,” Joon turned to the Sin, “about before. You didn’t need to apol-“ 

“Joonie! There you are.” Hyeongkon waved, walking towards them. Joon instantly turned to his boyfriend, smiling sweetly at him. 

Seungho glanced towards Hyeongkon. He was wearing jeans and a casual top, while Joon was wearing more smart attire from work. Hyeongkon could have brushed up more. 

“Let’s go to the aquarium before it closes.” Hyeongkon smiled as he jerked his head in the direction. 

Joon nodded, falling after the younger. He glanced down at Hyeongkon’s hand, wanting to interlock their fingers like a true couple. He held back of course, since Hyeongkon didn’t like to be affectionate in public. 

Even in the aquarium, Hyeongkon kept their relative friend distance. Joon just smiled, standing beside him. 

“They keep fish…” Joon heard Seungho’s voice. He turned around, only to see the Sin staring into one of the tanks. 

Joon’s smile grew, just watching Seungho. He’d said that he was forever in his early thirties, but he was acting like a kid. 

“What are you looking at?” Hyeongkon questioned, appearing closer. “The sharks?” 

“Huh? Y-yeah.” Joon turned back to his boyfriend. Hyeongkon just nodded before making his way towards the jellyfish room. 

Joon sighed, trailing after his boyfriend. Seungho was right behind, catching up until he was beside Joon. He raised an eyebrow, glancing between Joon and Hyeongkon. 

“You’re not enjoying your date?” Seungho questioned. 

Joon gave him a strange look. He was about to answer casually until something hit him. He’d known Seungho for one day and yet he’d chatted to him as if they’d been close for years. 

“Of course I am.” Joon scurried off closer to Hyeongkon. The younger threw his arm around Joon’s shoulders, but it definitely looked like just a friend stance. 

As interesting as this aquarium full of amazing fish was, Seungho couldn’t help but watch the two humans. Their dynamics seemed too different to work as a couple. But then, who was Seungho to judge? He didn’t even remember his last lover, it had been so many centuries. 

Once they’d finished with the aquarium Hyeongkon suggested getting some food. They went to a nice looking Indian restaurant. Joon knew that Hyeongkon loved Indian food, so it was no surprise. 

They got a table by the window, more secluded. They ordered before conversation actually sparked up. “So how was work?” Hyeongkon asked. 

“Same as always,” Joon leaned back in his chair. “I’ve just been tired today.” 

“Sorry, I bet I kept you up all night with my drunkenness.” Hyeongkon pouted, playing with his fork on the table. 

“No, it wasn’t you.” Joon reassured, reaching out and petting Hyeongkon’s hand. “I just wasn’t feeling it today.” 

“Was it a mood swing?” Hyeongkon cautiously asked, eyes searching. 

Joon shook his head, giving the younger a forced smile. Seungho furrowed his brows, since he was still there. He was leaning against the window behind Joon, making sure that he was out of his view. 

Joon had mood swings?

“Did you get more medication?” Hyeongkon carried on, “I’m sure you said last time that you were running out.”

“Don’t worry I have more.” Joon didn’t want to say it, but he’d said that over three weeks ago, he’d gotten at least two more prescriptions since then. 

Seungho was listening in carefully to their conversation, generally interested. After all, he didn’t know anything about Joon. And, if they were linked for the time being, he might as well get to know the human. 

“What have you been up to today?” Joon turned the tables. 

“Ah, just slobbing about.” Hyeongkon shrugged. “Getting over my hangover….” he trailed off, his phone suddenly vibrating in his pocket. 

Joon raised an eyebrow, easily hearing the device. “Is it a call?” He asked lightly, almost too casual. 

Seungho walked around the table, capturing Joon’s attention. He stood behind Hyeongkon just as he pulled out the phone. 

“Ah, it's just a message.” Hyeongkon quickly re-pocketed the phone after putting it on silent. 

“Who was it from?” Joon was curious. 

“Just someone from the party last night asking if I recovered.” Hyeongkon chuckled, before looking back at Joon. 

The elder just smiled and dropped it. He didn’t want to cause a fuss by acting like a teenager. Hyeongkon was allowed to have friends; girls and boys. 

Seungho raised his eyebrows before walking back over towards Joon’s side. Joon watched him out of the corner of his eyes, making him look as though he was glaring to the side. 

“Hey,” Hyeongkon called out, capturing Joon’s attention. “It was just a friend.” He had a rather dark expression for someone trying to convince his lover - well, in Seungho’s opinion anyway. 

“I never said it-“

“You don’t have to get jealous and glare at nothing like that.” Hyeongkon leaned back in his chair. “It was a friend from the party, geez. I don’t get jealous over you.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he went into sulky mode. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t glare.” Joon quickly apologised. Hyeongkon raised an eyebrow, but turned back fully to the elder. 

“Okay, I forgive you.” 

Seungho scoffed. Joon ignored the Sin behind him; any expression he made would result in another misunderstanding. 

Seungho was awfully curious about humans now. Especially Hyeongkon; he seemed like a sly, slippery fella. And Joon seemed to have a lot of layers that Seungho didn’t know about. 

Hopefully he’d find a way to detach their souls, giving them both their lives back. Seungho didn’t want to start getting attached to this human. That was the last thing he wanted.


	6. VI

Jungmin had spent the whole night locked in his room with his dogs. Yohan the Sin of Gluttony - or whatever he claimed to be - had one hell of a confusing explanation of what he was. 

Jungmin was freaked out by him still. Copper and Mini were both sleeping on his bed, since Jungmin had locked them in with him. Hopefully he could keep them in here until he figured out what was going on. 

There was a knock on his bedroom door, making Jungmin jump. “Hey, are you awake?” Yohan’s voice sounded on the other side. 

Jungmin bit his lip, trying not to make a sound. There was a sudden poof, orange smoke in front of Jungmin. He looked up, only to see Yohan stood right in front of him. 

Jungmin immediately screeched, escaping from the room. Yohan rolled his eyes, seeing the human scrambling around. “Jungmin will you stop running around? It’s 7am.”

“St-stay away…” Jungmin held a hand out in front of him, like that was going to help. 

Yohan raised an eyebrow, watching the smaller man’s eyes search around for some sort of escape. 

“When are you gonna make breakfast?” Yohan asked, genuinely hungry. 

“Why are you still here…?” Jungmin frowned, suddenly grabbing a spatula. He held in front of him defensively, “get back.” He took a step forward, thrusting the spatula in Yohan’s face. 

The Sin stepped back as Jungmin forced him towards the front door. “Out…” Jungmin growled, close to smacking Yohan in the face with the spatula. 

“Okay… I’ll wait outside but you gotta save me some breakfast.” Yohan suddenly disappeared, the orange smoke back. Jungmin sighed, leaning against the closest wall. 

“Okay, okay…” Jungmin lolled his head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. “I can get through this… He’ll get bored of an old man like you and go home… yeah.” 

With those words to convince himself, Jungmin decided that it was time to get ready for work. He quickly went to have a shower and get on his grey suit. After making sure his hair was down and ready did he enter the kitchen-living area. 

Copper and Mini were now both in the kitchen, standing by their food bowls. “Okay, it’s time for breakfast.” Jungmin chuckled, pouring some dog food into their bowls. He also made sure that they had plenty of water for the day. 

Jungmin made sure that their doggie-door that led to the balcony was open, just so that they could get outside. “I’m sorry, I’ll come home early today and we’ll go for a nice walk.”

Jungmin petted both dogs on the head, the both of them wagging their tails happily at him. Jungmin smiled softly, before another sigh passed by him.

After grabbing some bread, Jungmin grabbed his suitcase and walked towards the front door. “Goodbye, my babies.” Jungmin waved at his dogs, though they were happily eating. 

Jungmin exited his apartment, some bread sticking out of his mouth. He locked the door before turning to the side. Once again Jungmin screeched, seeing Yohan stood leaning against the wall. 

“You’ve finished?” Yohan turned towards the human, seeing the bread that had fallen from his mouth now on the floor. 

“W-Why are you still here…?” Jungmin questioned shakily, his hand still grabbing the door handle in case he needed to make a quick escape back inside. 

“Where is breakfast?” Yohan asked, ignoring the question completely. 

“What?” Jungmin furrowed his brows. “It’s there.” He gestured to the bread on the floor. 

Yohan raised an eyebrow at the fallen bread. “That’s it?” 

“I don’t have time for this.” Jungmin quickly stormed past the Sin, making his way towards the stairwell. He needed to make it to work quickly; he’d had enough of these games. 

Yohan followed after the human anyway, not thinking anything. “So are you getting breakfast on the way?”

Jungmin rolled his eyes, his lack of sleep making him a little agitated. “Just stay here, okay. I will deal with you later okay.” 

Yohan raised an eyebrow, “but we can’t be-”

Jungmin immediately ignored the Sin, walking towards his car and getting in. He slammed the door before starting the car, not caring about where Yohan was. All Jungmin cared about was getting to work. 

Yohan sighed, watching the human drive off. He disappeared into orange smoke, appearing right on top of the preowned Aston. Yohan just sat cross-legged on top of Jungmin’s car, looking around the city as he drove. 

Yohan smiled to himself, feeling the breeze as the car zoomed down the streets. It was weird to feel the breeze, or rather wind, but not be affected by it at all. 

Jungmin pulled into his space at the company carpark. Guaranteed it wasn't actually his personal space, it was just the one he always seemed to park in. 

“Ah, Jungminnie, you’re here.” Inyeop had just got out of his own car, smiling brightly at the younger. 

“Hyung, good morning.” Jungmin bowed his head a little. Inyeop walked straight over towards the younger, throwing his arm around his shoulders.

“Remember, no overtime today.” Inyeop reminded seriously, since he and Seungkyu were determined to get Jungmin to take it easier at work. 

“I remember, don’t wor…” Jungmin suddenly trailed off, looking up at the roof of his car. Yohan raised an eyebrow, before grinning at the human. 

“I’m still hungry, Kim Jungmin-ah.” 

Jungmin just stared, feeling his heart accelerate in fear. Why him? What had he done wrong that resulted in basically being haunted?

“Let's get going.” Inyeop was already directing Jungmin towards the elevator which would take them from the carpark to the mainlobby of the company. “Hopefully Seungkyu has some coffee on for us.” 

“Yeah, I could use a good coffee.” Jungmin nodded to himself, before glancing back. Yohan was now following after them both, eyes just observing the cars. 

Jungmin managed to ignore Yohan as he made his way to the work office. Inyeop was talking about what he was planning for the weekend, but Jungmin wasn’t paying too much attention. He was feeling too cautious of the Sin right behind him. 

Jungmin sat in his cubicle, already glaring at the large pile of paperwork on his desk. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. Lolling his head back, Jungmin stared at the ceiling. 

“Breakfast?” Yohan suddenly appeared in his view, leaning over the human. Jungmin yelped, almost falling off his chair. 

“Will you give up!” Jungmin hissed under his breath. “Breakfast is over now, so give up.” 

Yohan frowned, almost pouted. He leaned against the cubicle wall, tilting his head as he watched the human. “What are you doing? Lets get food.” 

“I am working. I can't just get up and leave.” Jungmin was getting frustrated with the Sin; he must have the mind of a child. It was almost as if he didn’t understand what Jungmin was trying to say half the time. 

Yohan walked away from the cubicle, disappearing around the corner. Jungmin actually felt relief. He didn’t want to deal with the Sin, not when he had all of this work. 

Yohan walked around the office, seeing that all the humans were sitting in cubicles. There was just a lot of paper and phones ringing. Yohan couldn’t understand why humans would choose to spend the majority of their lives in situations like this. 

Yohan smiled to himself as he glanced into one of the cubicles. There was a lunchbox on the desk, and it was obviously full. The man sat at the computer was focusing on the computer screen. 

The Sin of Gluttony smirked, making his way into the cubicle. He was happy that Jungmin was the only human that could see him; that made this a lot easier. Yohan reached over, grabbing the lunchbox and disappearing into a puff of orange smoke. The man didn’t even notice. 

Yohan reappeared back in Jungmin’s cubicle, now sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the desk. He opened the lid of the bento, seeing that there was dakgangjeong. The Sin smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some chopsticks. 

Jungmin heard the sound of shuffling making him glance down. “Where did you find that?” He asked seriously, narrowing his eyes at the Sin. 

“It’s someone bento.” Yohan replied with a shrug. 

“From the office?” Jungmin’s eyes widened, watching the Sin take one of the pieces of chicken and eating it without a care. 

“Yep.” Yohan nodded, “He didn’t seem to want it.” 

“You can’t just eat that!” Jungmin quickly grabbed the bento, making the Sin frown again. “You can’t just take other people’s food!” 

“Let it go… I’m starving!” Yohan whined; he actually whined. 

“No! It belongs to someone.” Jungmin quickly put the lid back on, making sure the dakgangjeong was still inside and none of the sauce leaked. He sighed mentally with relief; now he had to find who this belonged to.

“Hey, has anyone seen my lunchbox?” Kwangyo’s voice sounded from the other side of the office. Jungmin tensed, holding the box a little tighter. 

Yohan glanced down at the bento, before back at the panicked Jungmin. The human didn’t have much time to think before Kwangyo’s head popped around his cubicle. 

Kwangyo instantly looked to his bento, still clutched in Jungmin’s hands. “Um, hyung… Is that my…?” 

“Ah, yes I, um… I…” Jungmin couldn’t think of what to say. 

Yohan sighed, crouching down and whispering into Jungmin’s ear. “I found it in the hallway, so I picked it up.” 

“I found it in the hallway… so I picked it up?” Jungmin repeated, his eyes shifting to Yohan. The Sin was extremely close, making Jungmin gasp suddenly. 

“You found it, hyung?” Kwangyo asked, one eyebrow raised. 

Jungmin looked back towards the younger man, seeing the confused look on his face. “Ah yes.” Jungmin stood up, holding the lunchbox out for Kwangyo. “I found it on the floor.” 

“Ah, thank you.” Kwangyo took back the box, bowing his head a little before turning back around. “I swear I put it on my desk…” He mumbled as he walked back towards his own cubicle. 

Jungmin waited until he was out of earshot before turning back around to Yohan. “Do not take anyone else’s stuff.”

“I don’t want just stuff, I want food. I am starving. You did not make me any breakfast and now I am dying…” Yohan whined, suddenly falling on the floor. He splayed his arms and legs, taking up the entire floor. 

Jungmin rolled his eyes, turning back towards his computer. He still had reports to file, he didn’t have time to look after a whiny Sin. Jungmin tried to ignore the Sin, just wanting to carry on with his work. 

“How old are you, Kim Jungmin?” Yohan asked, suddenly looking through Jungmin’s wallet. He only had it in his suit jacket, but still that meant that the Sin was snooping around his stuff. 

“Can’t you see on my driver’s licence?” Jungmin sighed, carrying on typing away. 

“1987..?” Yohan pouted, “but, what year is this?” 

Jungmin suddenly stopped typing, his eyes turning to the Sin. Yohan was just leaning against the cubicle wall, cross-legged as he pulled out a few of Jungmin’s bank cards. 

“You don’t know what year it is?” Jungmin questioned, feeling like this was all a joke. 

“Well, since I died and became a Sin, I’m locked away in my prison all day, every day. I’m not really sure how much time has passed from the day I arrived there. But, I know it was a long time ago.” Yohan lolled his head back against the wall. 

Jungmin just sat and listened, seeing the expression of loneliness spread across Yohan’s face. “You said… there were seven of you?” 

“Yes. There are seven deadly Sins.” Yohan sighed, “Though we’ve all been together for a long, long time… we’re not all close.” 

“Did you guys… live together?” Jungmin was starting to get curious about the Sin. He felt a churn in his stomach when Yohan made that lonely expression. 

“Sort of.” Yohan looked down at his lap, where his hands were together. “Each of us is kept within a room, down a dark corridor. We each have a window to look out onto the corridor, but nothing more.” 

“You’re never allowed out?” Jungmin was shocked, almost disgusted at how the Sin was a prisoner. 

“Lucifer will let us out now and then, but our interactions with each other are kept to a minimum really.” Yohan frowned a little, “the Sin I see the most is Wrath, as he lives in the room opposite mine.” 

“Wrath?” Jungmin turned his swivel chair around completely, facing the Sin headon. “Are your personalities linked to your sins?” 

“Oh course.” Yohan nodded, “that’s why I am starving right now.” He gave Jungmin an unimpressed look, with dark eyes. 

“You’re gonna have to wait until-” 

“Kim Jungmin-ssi, have you finished those papers?” Suddenly the Boss was at the cubicle doorway, arms crossed and eyes dark. 

Jungmin quickly flun back around to his desk, eyes wide and worried. “I- I am almost done… just fifteen minutes.” 

“You have ten.” The Boss frowned before walking away, obviously going to check on the other workers. 

Jungmin started tapping away furiously, trying desperately to finish the files. Yohan stood up, leaning over the human’s chair and seeing what he was typing. The charts and reports made no sense to Yohan, but watching the human work hard intrigued him. 

“Does that man not like you?” Yohan questioned, suddenly resting his chin on Jungmin’s head. The human was too immersed in his work to even acknowledge the Sin leaning on him. 

“He is the Boss. He is in charge.” Jungmin answered flatly.

“Why does he work you so hard?” Yohan continued to ask. 

“Because he is the Boss.” Jungmin growled. 

“Yeah but, why-”

“Yohan, please stop talking.” Jungmin snapped, glaring towards the Sin. “I really need to finish this. Okay?”

Yohan stepped back, nodding his head. He didn’t know why but he had the feeling that Jungmin must be older than him - well, older than his death age. 

Yohan decided to walk away, feeling extremely bored. He walked around the office before finding the break room. Thankfully he’d found a fridge in there, and there was even a fruit bowl in the centre of the coffee table. 

The Sin looked behind him, just in case there were any humans about. He sat down on the coffee table, picking up one of the apples from the bowl. He ate the apple in less than five minutes, making sure that he got as close to the core as possible. 

Yohan spent the next hour sitting in the break room. He’d eaten all of the fruit in the bowl and three packets of biscuits beside the kettle. He’d eaten most of the fridge contents, including people's lunches. 

Yohan walked over toward the window, looking out to the city skyline. The office was on a high floor, so it actually had a super nice view. 

The Sin leaned a hand against the window, a deep sigh escaping from him. He needed to find a way to separate his and Jungmin’s souls. He couldn’t be stuck like this forever. And what would happen to him when Jungmin dies? 

Yohan turned his back on the glass, crossing his arms. He heard the sound of voices, likely workers. They entered the break room, chatting away about their work or lives. 

“Huh? There’s no biscuits today?” One asked as he turned the kettle on. 

“Seriously?” Another commented, slouching down on the sofa.

“No fruit either.” A woman spoke, almost flipping the empty bowl. 

“Even my lunch is gone!” A man exclaimed as he slammed the fridge shut. 

Yohan was just laughing to himself. These humans were getting really stressed out over food. 

“Is someone playing a joke?” Another woman asked, holding up her empty lunchbox. 

“I bet they are!” The man who originally slammed the fridge shut spoke. 

“I saw that Kim Jungmin had Lee Kwangyo’s lunch earlier.” The woman with the empty lunchbox stated. “He said he found it, but it didn’t sound convincing.” 

“Kim Jungmin better not be pranking us!” 

“Isn’t he usually quiet and gets on with work?” 

“It’s always the quiet ones, innit?” 

Yohan frowned as he listened to the humans. How did they come to the conclusion that Jungmin was behind this. He hadn’t even left his cubicle since he arrived. 

“I never like that guy all too much.” The man by the fridge scoffed. “He’s really shifty.” 

“I heard that he hasn’t had a girlfriend in years.” The woman beside him chuckled. “He only cares about his dogs.” 

“Seriously?” The man laughed, “ I always knew he was a weirdo.” 

“I’ve never seen him eat lunch though, unless Lee Inyeop gives him some.” The one on the sofa said. 

“Maybe he barely makes it, and that’s why he works overtime.” The woman chuckled, “no wonder he hasn’t got a girlfriend.” 

“So now he’s decided to take our lunches?” The fridge man growled. “The nerve! I might as well teach that guy a lesson!” 

Yohan frowned, pushing off from the window. He stalked right up to the man, frowning at him. Up close he was super ugly, probably in his late 40s. 

The man was still talking about teaching Jungmin a lesson, but he’d probably never follow through. Still, hearing them accuse Jungmin without proof like this was just plain wrong. 

Yohan straightened up, before shoulder barging straight into the man, almost knocking him off his feet. The Sin just walked slowly towards the door, hearing the fear in the man’s voice. 

“What the hell was that?” He freaked. 

“What happened?” The others had witnessed him stumble over nothing. 

“Something just hit me!” 

“We didn’t see anything…”

“I’m telling you! Something really did hit me!” 

“A ghost?” 

“No way! The office is haunted?” 

Yohan chuckled before walking back towards Jungmin’s cubicle. He was happy that he managed to freak the humans out briefly, it was funny how scared they became. 

Jungmin was still tapping away on his computer, though thankfully most of his work was done. He looked focused, powering his way through. 

Yohan smiled; Jungmin’s concentration face was kinda cute. The way he filtered out the distractions, the way he mumbled a little to himself as he typed. 

The Sin shook his head, clearing those thoughts straight away. Come on, Jungmin was a man, and a human. 

It had to be the bond, right? Yohan sighed, trying to figure out exactly what this was. Sure Jungmin was cute, but that didn’t mean anything. 

“You’re back.” Jungmin suddenly spoke, catching Yohan off guard. 

Did he hear him sigh? But it wasn’t loud… and how did Jungmin know it was Yohan? Surely other people came to his cubicle. 

“I’m back.” The Sin answered, stepping further into the cubicle. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Jungmin was still typing as he spoke, “about how you don’t even know what year it is.” 

“Oh, that…” Yohan shrugged. “It’s not really important.” 

“Surely you wanna know the year?” Jungmin finally turned his gaze towards Yohan. 

“Well, it would be nice I suppose.” The Sin shrugged, in all fairness he wasn’t really bothered. 

“It’s 2019. So that makes me 32.” Jungmin told anyway, even without the Sin asking. Weirdly, Jungmin felt like they should at least know a bit about each other, past names. 

“2019?” Yohan nodded to himself. “Wow…” he wasn’t sure of the year when he was alive, he never paid attention to stuff like that. 

“So, how old are you?” Jungmin knew they shouldn’t be having this conversation at work. He had papers to finish; but he’d be lying if he said Yohan didn’t interest him. 

“Well, I was just 30 when I died.” Yohan answered, “and I’ve looked that way ever since.” 

Jungmin looked over the Sin again, seeing how he was probably hundreds of years old really. Technically anyway… 

“You can call me hyung if you want.” Jungmin states before turning back to the computer. He was one of the youngest in the office, so didn’t have any juniors. 

Yohan blinked stupidly; even his technically elder Sins were never called hyung by him. It was strange. 

“Okay, Jungmin-hyung. If that’s what you want.” The Sin answered. 

Jungmin’s heart clenched suddenly, making his face flush. Why did that make him happy? He had other people that called him hyung, but when Yohan said it… it made him feel weird. 

“What time will you finish today?” Yohan asked, smiling at the human. He never thought he’d be this fond of Jungmin, especially after one day. 

“Probably around six…” Jungmin sighed, turning back to his computer. 

“Who takes care of your dogs during the day?” Yohan couldn’t help but wonder. 

“Mrs Kwon, the landlady takes them for a walk around midday.” Jungmin sighed, “I’ll take them out for their night walk.” 

Yohan nodded; he remembered Mrs Kwon as the old lady who definitely couldn’t see him. “Your dogs are cute. What are their names?” 

Jungmin felt his chest heat up again. Was Yohan trying to get to know him more? Was the Sin finding him interesting as well. 

“They’re called Mini and Copper.” Jungmin nodded, “Mini is the pomeranian.” 

Yohan nodded back, a small hum of confirmation leaving him. It was, in a word: awkward. There was no way just talking to a ghost was going to benefit Jungmin in any way. 

“Make sure that you make a big dinner tonight.” Yohan suddenly flipped the conversation from interest in the human to his Sin. “Since you starved me all day, I want a really big dinner. Also, your fridge at home is empty.” 

Jungmin rolled his eyes, turning back to his screen. He’d head by the convenience store for the rest of the week, and on Saturday he’d go to the supermarket. A plan. 

It didn’t matter if he was living with the Sin Of Gluttony. Jungmin was obligated to feed him, or look after him. He didn’t need to make him a massive meal. 

Yohan had disappeared from the room again; probably to find more food. Jungmin ran a hand through his hair, before leaning on his palm. 

The human pulled out the pendant from inside of his shirt. How was he supposed to get this off? Maybe there would be some form of cutters at the convenience store. 

“Why me…”


	7. VII

Since Taehyung had the night off from work, he’d spent the rest of the day watching Matthew. The Sin was strange, really strange. 

Taehyung sat in the living room, arms wrapped around his legs as he brought them to his chest. Jiwoo was sitting on the floor beside him, her work all over the carpet. 

Jiwoo kept giving Taehyung a weird look, seeing as though he was staring off into a random direction. The elder looked scared, and it wasn’t normal. 

Matthew was currently looking over the tv, like he’d never seen one before. Taehyung couldn’t help but notice the difference between Matthew’s appearance and his actions. 

Matthew made his way towards the kitchen area again, looking around the breakfast bar. Taehyung turned his head, watching the Sin. 

“Oppa, are you really okay?” Jiwoo was seriously worried, and if she was Somin definitely would be. 

“Fine.” Taehyung smiled at the younger, nodding his head. Jiwoo frowned, about to speak when the sound of the front door opening caught the attention. 

“I’m home.” Somin dang as she walked through the door. 

“Welcome back.” Jiwoo greeted her, already feeling the smile split over his face. 

Taehyung’s eyes widened instead, seeing as though Matthew had made his way towards the front door too. He was towering over the little figure of Somin as she took off her shoes. 

“How was university?” Jiwoo asked, standing up. 

“It was alright.” Somin chuckled, hanging up her caught. She stepped forwards, accidentally brushing against Matthew. 

Somin immediately looked at Matthew, though all she could see was the coat hooks. “Are you okay?” Jiwoo asked, already making her way towards Somin. 

“I just thought that I felt something.” Somin frowned, “but who knows.” 

Taehyung quickly looked to Matthew, who looked back at him. “Oops, didn’t mean to get that close to her.” The Sin stated, before moving away from the girls. 

Taehyung had so many questions to ask Matthew, but he couldn’t just talk to empty space. The girls would think he was going mental. 

“Oppa, you’re not at the bar?” Somin made her way towards Taehyung after giving Jiwoo a loving hug. 

“Ah, I’m not feeling 100%... so Jiwoo-yah suggested I stay home tonight.” Taehyung smiled, trying to look casual about it. 

“Omo, are you okay?” Somin quickly scurried over to him, pressing her palm to the elder’s forehead. “Would you like some food? Have you had medicine?” 

Taehyung just shook his head slightly, “I’m okay.” He was capable of taking care of himself anyway. 

“Do you think I’m that unreliable?” Jiwoo scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve already got hotpot on for everyone.” 

“Really?” Somin’s face lit up. “Jiji, I love you!” She leapt on the younger, hugging her tightly. 

Matthew sat down on the carpet, near Jiwoo’s work. He was looking over the work, not really understanding any of it. 

Taehyung went back to watching the Sin. There was something quite cute about the way he found everything interesting, almost like he was a big dog. Maybe a Doberman, or a Labrador. 

Taehyung quickly shook his head; what the hell was he thinking about? Matthew stood up again, like they couldn’t be in the same place for more than a couple minutes. 

What was he looking for? Taehyung followed the Sin with his eyes, right until he disappeared into Jiwoo and Somin’s room. 

Taehyung would have followed, but Jiwoo was already starting in the kitchen. She plated up the hotpot side dishes, before placing the actual hot in the centre of the table. 

“Come get it, kids!” Jiwoo called, already sitting down. Somin sat beside her, the both of them chatting happily. 

Taehyung sat on the other side of the table, picking up his chopsticks. He turned around, looking towards the girls’ room again. What was Matthew doing in there? 

“Oppa?” Somin called out, capturing the elder’s attention. 

“Hmm, yes?” Taehyung turned back to the table. 

“Eat,” Jiwoo gestured to the hotpot, “you’re not usually here to eat with us.” 

Taehyung smiled a little, “sorry.” He regretted not spending a lot of time with the girls, but they studied and he worked two jobs. It made his sponging even worse. 

“It’s fine, just eat.” Somin said sweetly. They all carried on eating, just enjoying the company. 

There was a suddenly yellow smoke beside Taehyung, making him jump. Matthew was suddenly sitting in the chair beside him, looking over the meal. 

Jiwoo and Somin were too busy catching up on each other’s days to notice Taehyung’s jump. Matthew watched the two girls with curious eyes. 

“Which one is your girlfriend then?” Matthew asked, leaning back in the chair. 

“Neither.” Taehyung whispered before taking another spoonful of hotpot. 

“Really? You live with two girls and neither is your girlfriend.” Matthew chuckled, shaking his head. 

Taehyung glanced to the Sin, seeing the amount of rings he was wearing. He’d never actually noticed before, and honestly it was weird. He knew that Matthew was the Sin Of Greed, But did-

Taehyung’s thoughts suddenly cut off, a new one in his head. Was Matthew in the girls’ room earlier trying to find their valuables? 

Since Somin and Jiwoo were still present, Taehyung held his tongue. He’d interrogate Matthew later. 

Somin and Jiwoo were clearing the table, teasing and giggling together. Taehyung took this as a great escape route. He needed to at least have some space. 

“I’m gonna have a walk and maybe get some tablets.” Taehyung excused himself, smiling at the girls before walking towards the door. 

Before Somin could protest, Taehyung had his coat on and was outside. He walked away from the apartment, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

Matthew followed after the human. Taehyung pulled his phone out of his pocket, holding it to his ear. 

“So, do you wanna tell me everything?” Taehyung said into his phone, though he was talking to the sin behind him. 

“Everything?” Matthew questioned seriously. 

“About what’s gonna happen from now on.” Taehyung sighed deeply, “I’ve already come to the conclusion that you won’t be leaving anytime soon.” 

Matthew sighed, “I guess I can tell you what I know…” he scratched the back of his head. 

Taehyung turned left suddenly, walking into a park. It was already past eight, and the only light was from the street lamps. He sat down on one of the swings, his phone now in both hands on his lap. 

“Okay, tell me everything you know.” Taehyung was looking down at his phone. 

“Well, our souls are connected now since you have my pendant.” Matthew started, “I don’t know how to take the pendant off you, or what it might do to either of us if we forced it off. I’m not really sure what to do or say…”

“How come Somin couldn’t see you, but she felt you?” Taehyung asked, looking towards Matthew. The sin sighed, sitting on the swing next to the human. 

“I’m not entirely sure. Only you can see me because of our bonded souls.” Matthew looked down at his hands. “I think it’s because I am actually here. I’m on Earth, in this plain of existence. You sharing your soul with me has given me stabilization, but not completely.” 

Taehyung didn’t really understand, but at the same time he didn’t know what to say. He just hummed and nodded, a sigh escaping him. 

“I’m not really understanding the situation either. This has never happened before.” Matthew glanced to the human beside him before looking back to his hands. “It’s been god knows how long since I’ve been on Earth.” 

Taehyung looked at Matthew, seeing the lost look on his face. “Where… where did you come from then?” 

“Well, the seven of us live in Hell. It’s more like a prison, I suppose. We’re locked in there, just letting each day pass.” Matthew lolled his head against the chain of the swing. 

“Don’t you wanna go out and see the world or something?” Taehyung questioned. 

“We can see how the world has changed and how people, technology, culture has changed.” Matthew frowned, “sometimes I think it was just Lucifer rubbing it in our faces that we can never go back to the earth that we personally knew.” 

Taehyung nodded. This conversation has turned into quite a personal one. “Are you… happy that I picked up your pendant?” At first the Sin seemed shocked and angry that Taehyung had his pendant. 

“At first I was worried, and honestly I still am.” Matthew looked up at the night sky, smiling softly at the stars. “You’ve given me a chance to see sights like this, one’s that I'd never seen in Hell. But, I don’t know how this will affect us both in the long run.” 

“Will sharing my soul with you… kill me?” Taehyung felt his own voice shake as he asked. 

Matthew wanted to reassure the human, but he wasn’t sure himself. “I don’t know.” He sighed, “it might kill me.” 

Taehyung looked at the Sin with wide eyes, fear definitely showing. 

“You seem like a nice guy, Kim Taehyung.” Matthew was still looking at the stars, “I am sorry for coming into your life.” 

“N-no, it’s okay.” Taehyung didn’t actually think that Matthew showing up had ruined his life or anything. It was just something he wasn’t used to at all. 

“What do you do, Taehyung?” Matthew quickly turned the tables, turning towards the human with a bright smile. 

“I work at the convenience store in the morning and at the Four Aces pub in the evenings.” Taehyung answered, his tone picking up a bit. It was kinda sweet that they were just having a chat. 

Matthew hummed in acknowledgment. “You work pretty hard. Any particular reason why?” 

“I wanna save up enough money to get my own place.” Taehyung weirdly didn’t mind telling Matthew about his plans. He hadn’t known him even a day and he felt at least a little comfortable around him. 

“You wanna live alone?” Matthew frowned. “Why? Those two girls seem to adore you.” 

Taehyung chuckled, before getting to his feet. “I can’t get in their way forever, and I need my own space.” He always saw how happy Somin and Jiwoo were together; he wanted to find that special someone too. 

Matthew stood up too, looking down at the shorter man. “I mean, I’m gonna be 27 this year, so…” his shoulders fell a little. 

“I was about 26 when I died.” Matthew stated, capturing the human’s attention. 

Taehyung turned towards the sin, eyes wide. “I’m sorry.” 

“Why are you apologising?” Matthew was confused. 

“Well, you were so young when you died.” Taehyung scratched nervously at his nape. 

Matthew just chuckled. “Well, that’s how old I was when Pride; Jo Wonjun came to get me.” 

“Jo Wonjun?” Taehyung was starting to find out more about Matthew, and it was intriguing. 

“He’s the Sin Of Pride. The first one.” Matthew held up a finger to signify. “We all came afterwards.” 

“Are you close with the others?” Taehyung couldn’t help but ask. The thought of this big puppy of a guy all alone with no one was a sad thought. 

“Well, I guess I’m closest to Kim Sungjoo.” Matthew answered honestly. Taehyung perked up a little, hearing the Sin’s shift in tone. 

“And, Who is he?” Taehyung asked, genuinely interested. 

“Ah, The Sin Of Sloth.” Matthew grinned at the human. “Our rooms are opposite each other, so he’s the Sin I talk to the most - when he’s awake.” 

Taehyung chuckled a little, making Matthew smile more. They started walking back towards the apartment, still chatting. 

Taehyung had his phone back to his ear, just in case a passerby came. “So, is ‘Matthew’ your real name?” He questioned. 

“Ah, yes it is. It is my birth name.” Matthew was walking beside Taehyung now instead of behind like before. “I’m originally from America. But I do have a Korean name if you would prefer to-“

“Nope. Matthew is fine.” Taehyung just continued to look ahead. “It’s your name after all, you should treasure it. Even if I’m Korean and this is Korea, I will call you by your actual name.” 

“That was very precise.” Matthew couldn’t help but smile though. It had taken years to get the sins to refer to him as Matthew instead of Woojin or even Jinseok. But Taehyung, he didn’t even ask what his Korean name was. 

“Well, if I went to America I’d expect you to still call me ‘Taehyung’.” The human laughed, his eyes shining. 

Matthew has never met a human like Taehyung before. He seemed so determined in life. He knew where he wanted to go and had even had a goal. It wouldn’t surprise Matthew if he even had a deadline. 

When they arrived back at the apartment it was already dark. Somin had left a little note on the table; it said that she and Jiwoo had gone to bed and Taehyung should rest early too. 

It was around 10:30 now anyway. Matthew looked over the note too, easily peering over the human’s head. “She really cares about you.” He said softly. 

“I know she does.” Taehyung three the note in the bin before making his way towards his room. Out of instinct, Matthew followed. 

Taehyung suddenly stopped as he reached his door. He turned to Matthew, a confused expression on his face. “I don’t know where you will sleep?” They didn’t even have a spare bedroom. 

“It’s okay.” Matthew waves his hand nonchalantly. “I don’t really need to sleep anyway.” 

“Really?” Taehyung looked intrigued again. 

“I’m not human, remember?” Matthew reminded, which caught the actual human off guard. 

“A-Ah, right.” Taehyung opened his door before stepping inside. “Well, goodnight.” And with that he shut Matthew out. 

Taehyung leaned against his door. He kept forgetting that Matthew wasn’t a human. They seemed to get on well, their personalities almost matching to the point of friendship. 

Taehyung shook his head. He didn’t really need to think about it now. He just needed to go to sleep. There was no shift at the convenience store tomorrow, only the pub, so he could sleep in. 

The night seemed to pass by faster than Taehyung would have ever liked. He sat up in bed, yawning as he did. His phone told him that it was 10:48 in the morning. 

Taehyung stood up from his bed, stretching his arms over his head. He ruffled his bed hair before leaving the room. He walked towards the bathroom, which was thankfully free. 

After locking the door, Taehyung striped off. He turned on the shower and let it run till hot before stepping in. His mind still felt half asleep as he washed his hair and body. 

He exited the shower after turning it off. His towel was wrapped tightly around his waist as he shuffled back towards his bedroom. 

“G’morning.” Jiwoo’s voice called out to him, as she had just left her room. 

Taehyung made a noise before disappearing back into his room. Jiwoo shook her head, desperately holding back a laugh at Taehyung’s morning state. 

“Hey, Jiwoo, have you seen my jewellery box?” Somin’s voice could be heard even with Taehyung’s door shut. 

“Isn’t it on your desk, where it always is?” Jiwoo countered a question. 

“I thought so but it’s not there anymore.” Somin sounded a little panicked. “Did someone take it?” 

“Calm down,” Jiwoo’s voice again, “you probably moved it and forgot to put it back. It’ll turn up, I’m sure of it.”

“B-but you said you couldn’t find your gold bracelet this morning too!” Somin was really panicking. 

“It’s probably in your jewellery box.” Jiwoo was trying her best to calm the elder. 

“What’s happening?” Taehyung opened his bedroom door, not dressed in joggers and a baggy tee. He was ruffling his damp hair with a towel as he entered the main living space. 

“Somin has misplaced her jewellery box, and I couldn’t find my bracelet. That’s all.” Jiwoo answered the elder, trying to stay calm. 

“Oppa, can you help look for it?!” Somin asked with pleading eyes. “It’s the light purple one you got me five years ago for Christmas. You know the one?”

“Yeah I know the one.” Taehyung nodded. 

“Can you look for it, Oppa, while we go to university?” Somin looked sad. Beyond sad about such a thing; she was cute worrying over something like that. 

“Sure, I’ll look around before going to work.” Taehyung didn’t mind helping out the girls, it’s not like he had anything better to do today. 

“Thank you, Taehyung oppa.” Jiwoo smiled at the elder before taking Somin’s hand. “Let’s go to university, Taehyung oppa will have a look for it.” 

“Okay…” Somin nodded, letting her girlfriend drag her out of the house. They both said goodbye to Taehyung before the door shut after them. 

“Jewellery box?” Taehyung frowned, throwing his towel onto the back of the sofa. He’d probably needed to check the girls room first, but he felt weird about going in there. 

Whatever, he had been in there plenty of times. Taehyung opened the door, slowly peeking his head inside. The two single beds were pushed together to make a double, Taehyung couldn’t help but think that was adorable. 

After just having a look around and it was clear that there was no jewellery at all, not just the box. “What the…” There was no way that they had been robbed or anything. 

Taehyung ruffled the back of his hair before walking back out into the living area. Maybe he should check on his own jewellery. He walked over to his room, opening the door without a thought. 

Taehyung immediately jumped, seeing the large figure of Matthew sitting cross-legged on his bed. “Jesus, you made me jump.” 

“Sorry.” Matthew grinned. It was only then did Taehyung see the purple jewellery box on Matthew’s lap.

“Hey, why do you have that?” Taehyung frowned, pointing at the box. 

“Hmm. Oh, this?” Matthew still had a casual expression, almost too casual. “It has jewels in it, not even a lock. How stupid is that, they don’t even protect their jewels, but then again, some of these are fakes.” 

Taehyung just looked at the Sin with confusion. “Why would anyone lock them away? This is our house, and I’m not gonna steal…” He flittered off. “What is your Sin again?” 

Matthew raised an eyebrow before answering. “Greed.” 

“You’re stealing our valuables aren’t you?” Taehyung seemed almost too shocked for the situation. 

“‘Steal’ is a strong word.” Matthew scoffed, holding up Jiwoo’s gold bracelet. “I will treasure them.” He nodded to himself, leaning back more on his hand and smiling at the bracelet. 

Taehyung stepped forwards, suddenly snatching the bracelet away from the Sin. “Hey, what did you do that for?” Matthew questioned, giving the human a distraught look. 

“This is not yours!” Taehyung snapped. “Somin gave this bracelet to Jiwoo for their first month as a couple. You can’t just take something with worth and sentimental value!” 

“It was just kept on the side!” Matthew growled, standing up abruptly and towering over the human. “I will keep it safe and secure! Like it should be!” 

“Are you nuts? This isn’t yours.” Taehyung glanced towards the bed, seeing even his own jewellery mixed within the pile of the girls’. “You’ve even taken my stuff!”

“Most of it is dusty! You clearly don’t wear nor want it!” Matthew snapped back, eyes narrowing. His deep voice was actually rather intimidating, shaking Taehyung internally. 

“That is not the point!” Taehyung snapped back, frowning deeply. “You are now forbidden to touch any of our stuff, okay?” 

“Who are you to stop me though?” Matthew gritted back. 

“You’re only here because of my soul, right?” Taehyung didn’t know where he was going with this but he couldn’t stop the word vomit. “So you’re only technically alive and here because of me! You should be indebted to me right? So do not take my stuff!” 

Matthew blinked stupidly. “I’m indebted to you…? Since when?”

“Matthew, do not… just stop.” Taehyung sighed, turning around and storming towards the kitchen. He started gathering his convenience store uniform since he had a shift. 

Matthew stepped out the room, watching the human gather all of his stuff. “Where are you going?” He asked seriously. 

“I am going to my job. You know, to earn my money, not just steal my way through life.” Taehyung slung his bag over his back, making his way towards the front door. 

“What about me?” Matthew asked seriously. 

“What about you?” Taehyung frowned, leaving the room and slamming the front door shut. He could hear the human’s footsteps storming away and down the email. 

Matthew sighed, feeling a little sullen about their sudden spat. They were getting along yesterday and now they were back at square one with no trust at all. 

He looked down at his hands, seeing that they were becoming more faded and see-through the further away Taehyung got. Matthew walked through the front door, following after the human; he could still see him in the distance. 

Matthew would have to stay outside for the whole of Taehyung’s shift, since he probably didn't want to see him at the moment. Once again, his Sin was getting the best of him.


	8. VIII

For the rest of the morning training Wenhan swam without actually thinking about it. He couldn’t help but continuously look over to the side of the pool. 

Sungjoo was sat cross legged, arms folded and head dropping. He was falling asleep again by the looks of it. He still couldn’t wrap his head around it, the whole Sin thing. 

Sungjoo had tried to explain it, but Wenhan was still confused. “Wenhan, are you feeling alright?” Han Geng asked, tilting his head a little. He was at the head of the pool, just where Wenhan had reached. 

“I’m okay.” Wenhan nodded, his eyes still straying to the side. 

“I feel like you’re a little out of it this morning.” Han Geng held out his hand, “you should rest for a while.” 

Wenhan wanted to counter, but he knew that Han Geng was right. Because of Sungjoo distracting him, Wenhan hadn’t done anywhere near his best. 

Wenhan grabbed Han Geng’s hand, letting the elder pull him out of the pool. As soon as he was on his feet Han Geng gave the younger a friendly clap on the back. 

Wenhan walked over towards the side, grabbing his towel and scrubbing at his hair. “Finished already?” Sungjoo’s voice sounded, catching the Chinese man off guard. 

Wenhan just decided to ignore the sin, knowing full well that no one else could see or hear him. That’s what Sungjoo had said anyway. 

“Hyung,” one of the other swimmers smiled as he jogged over. 

“Seungyoun, you should keep practicing.” Wenhan smiled back at the younger. 

“I’m worried, hyung.” Seungyoun was looking at the elder cautiously. “Are you sick? You are never that far off your best.” 

Damn. Wenhan had hoped the others hadn’t noticed. He glanced past Seungyoun, seeing both Yibo and Yixuan both leaning against the side of the pool, obviously listening in to the conversation. 

“I’m fine guys. Don’t worry about me.” Wenhan smiled, trying to wave them all off. The sound of splashing indicated that the others had lifted themselves out of the pool. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Yixuan asked, his eyes serious. 

“You look a little pale.” Yibo added, his hands resting on his hips. 

“Maybe I’m a little tired.” Wenhan knew that it was better not to fight against them at all. 

“Ah ha!” Seungyoun suddenly shouted. “I knew it! Are you having troubles, hyung? We’ll listen.” 

“Troubles…?” Wenhan couldn’t help but glance at Sungjoo. The Sin was still sitting cross legged, but now he was looking directly at Wenhan with dark eyes. 

“Like lady troubles.” Seungyoun wiggled his eyebrows. Wenhan was caught a little off guard by that, looking at the younger with complete confusion. 

Wenhan glanced to Sungjoo once again. “Of course not.” He was always too busy practicing to even think about getting a girlfriend. 

“Then why are you wearing a necklace?” Yibo interjected with a pointed look. 

“Oh this.” Wenhan gripped the necklace, purposefully tanking it. “It’s nothing. Just thought it made a change.” 

“I was convinced that it’s from a girl.” Yibo clarified his opinion, “and that thinking of her has distracted you this morning.” 

Sungjoo scoffed, leaning back on his hands. He smirked at Wenhan, waiting to hear the rest. 

“It’s nothing like that.” Wenhan sighed, resisting the urge to kick Sungjoo. The Sin was only sitting a few paces away after all. 

“Then what?” Yixuan looked the most worried. He was a really caring ‘hyung’. 

“I just can’t get rid of it right now.” Wenhan suddenly flipped to speaking in Chinese, catching the others off guard. 

“Why have you changed to speaking in Chinese?” Seungyoun questioned, but spoke back in Chinese anyway. 

“Did I? I didn’t notice.” Wenhan sent a subtle smirk towards Sungjoo, who had stood up. Now the Sin didn’t know what he was saying. 

“You can’t get rid of the necklace, you said.” Yixuan carried on the conversation, even though now it was in Chinese. 

“Sentimental value!?” Seungyoun’s eyes widened. “So it is a girl?!” 

Yixuan rolled his eyes, suddenly grabbing Seungyoun and putting him in a soft headlock. The Korean man whined, but it turned into him hugging the elder’s waist. 

“Whatever it is, Wenhan. You shouldn’t let it get to you. You’re too talented to get distracted like that.” Yibo smiled at the elder. 

Wenhan just chuckled back, ruffling Yibo’s hair. Usually he’d be swatted away, but Yibo would forgive him today. 

“Yah!” Han Geng suddenly yelled. “You three, back to practice!” He was shouting at them in Korean. 

“Yes, hyung!” Seungyoun wiggled out of Yixuan’s grasp, but not before nuzzling against his shoulder. He ran back to the pool, with Yixuan right behind him. 

Yibo gave one last serious nod to Wenhan before he too made his way back to the pool. Wenhan waved them off, wishing them the best. He sat down on the bench, watching the other swim. 

Sungjoo suddenly sat down beside him. Wenhan couldn’t help but chuckle. The sin glanced at him before raising an eyebrow. 

“What’s so funny?” 

Wenhan snorted a little. “Oh nothing, you must be feeling like a little lost lamb after that.” He grinned as he turned his head towards the sin. 

Sungjoo hummed, before a smirk spread over his face. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” He spoke in perfect Chinese kind of an old dialect but still. It caught Wenhan completely off guard. 

“Y-you… speak Chinese?” Wenhan’s face suddenly turned pink, embarrassment taking over him. He actually thought he had an up on this guy. 

“Well, yes. I used to have to translate for my par-” Sungjoo cut himself off. He shifted on the bench, crossing his arms and throwing one leg over the other. 

Wenhan furrowed his brows. What was he going to say? His ‘lords’? The Chinese man kept a close eye on Sungjoo, though now he was just watching the swimmers. 

It wasn’t long after when Han Geng called a close on morning practice. “Great work, guys. And well done Yixuan on a new personal best.” 

Seungyoun jumped on Yixuan while Yibo gave him applause. Wenhan cheered for him, all in all they embarrassed the elder. Han Geng nodded in approval at his teams dynamic. 

“Okay, hit the showers and don’t be late for class.” Han Geng bowed his head to the four of them. The swimmers all bowed back and thanked Han Geng before he left. 

Sungjoo had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. What a weird sport. They were physically draining their energy and using their stamina to swim. Swim? 

Sungjoo followed them all towards the locker room where they were all scrambling for their towels. Wenhan grabbed his things easily and made his way into the first shower stall. 

The Sin easily stepped into the stall with him, surprised at the amount of space. Wenhan turned around, immediately jumping out of his skin. 

“What are you doing in here?!” He hissed between his teeth, trying not to draw attention. 

“I wondered why you needed to shower.” Sungjoo asked casually, like standing in the stall with Wenhan was normal. Weren’t they just in the water?

The sound of the other showers turning on really drowned out conversation, but Wenhan still kept his voice low. “To get rid of the chlorine, now get out.” He shoved one hand at Sungjoo’s chest. 

“Why?” Sungjoo’s eyes suddenly dragged up and down the Chinese man’s body. “Are you perhaps, embarrassed?” 

“This is an invasion of privacy!” Wenhan snapped, praying that the others wouldn’t hear. He wasn’t going to take his swimming jammer shorts off in front of the sin. 

“We’re both men, what’s the worry?” Sungjoo honestly didn’t see the fault with this. 

“Just get out!” Wenhan opened his stall, shoving the sin hard. Sungjoo stumbled back a little, as the chinese man slammed the door in his face. 

Sungjoo raised an eyebrow but just yawned and turned away. He walked out of the shower room and into the locker room. What a weird place. Sungjoo looked up at the clock on the wall. 

7:22am

Sungjoo felt his expression drop. What the hell time in the morning was this?! In Hell there wasn’t really a sense of time, but Sungjoo knew one thing, even when he was alive he didn’t ever see this time in the morning. Never. 

Sungjoo walked back towards the pool, looking out at the water. He saw that Han Geng guy sat on the side, his legs in the pool as he spoke on the phone to someone. Sungjoo didn’t care what he was saying, so he didn’t even pay attention. 

Only when he heard the sound of commotion behind him did he turn back. The four swimmers were all dressed now, heading towards the bigger building near the pool. 

Sungjoo groaned loudly, seeing his hands starting to fade the further away Wenhan got. He followed after them, though he hated walking, it was such a chore. 

“See ya later, hyungs!” Seungyoun cheered, throwing his arm around Yibo’s neck before dragging him towards the library. Yixuan just smiled as the younger two walked away. 

“You’re so smitten it’s cute.” Wenhan stated, turning back to Chinese as he spoke to the elder. 

“I can’t help it, Seungyoun is cute.” Yixuan grinned back. Wenhan made a disgusted face, but he didn’t have any hate behind it at all. “Anyway, enough about me, what about you?”

“What about me?” Wenhan frowned, giving the elder a confused face. 

“I heard that Jieqiong and Nayoung had both advanced on you. And I heard even Junghyeon the Princess of the Art department has eyes for you.” Yixuan was being extremely serious. 

Wenhan sighed, ruffling the back of his hair. “I’m not really interested. I don’t have that… ya know, feeling about them.” He didn’t really want to be popular, he had goals and dreams he wanted to achieve and as he learnt with his ex-girlfriend, relationships take too much time and commitment. 

Yixuan just hummed, patting the younger’s back. “I understand. You can’t like everyone that comes to the door.”

“Thanks Yixuan, you get me.” Wenhan smiled at the elder with thankfulness. Yixuan just nodded, the both of them walking towards their morning lecture. 

Sungjoo was listening to the conversation, translating in his head as they carried on. What a boring conversation… Women were always annoying anyway, so needy and whiny. In Sungjoo’s past experience anyway, but who knows, women might not be like that anymore. 

When they entered the lecture hall, Sungjoo couldn’t help but stop. He looked around the massive room, with the big whiteboard at the front and the bleacher seats that seemed to go on forever. He’d never seen anything like this. 

Wenhan and Yixuan sat in their usual places, halfway up the bleachers and near the wall. Yixuan was already getting his notebook and macbook out. Wenhan was watching Sungjoo, wondering what the hell the sin was doing. Other students just walked past him since they couldn’t see him. 

Sungjoo had really big eyes as he looked around. The lecturer suddenly walked in, “morning, students. Everyone take your seats.” He walked over towards the computer at the front, turning the button on. The large interactive whiteboard instantly flashed on, showing what was on the computer screen. 

Sungjoo jumped back, amazed at the technology. Wenhan chuckled a little, shaking his head at the sin. Seriously, was he a kid. 

“We’ll be talking about pathophysiology today so open your textbook to chapter 4, page 37.” The lecturer started, opening the powerpoint for the lecture. 

Sungjoo instantly disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke. Wenhan jumped in his seat, wondering where the sin had gone. Yixuan felt the jump beside him, turning to the younger.

“You okay, Wenhan?” Yixuan asked, eyeing Wenhan with concern. 

“Fine.” Wenhan smiled at him, calming himself down. 

“Pathophysiology is the study of the changes of normal mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions, either caused by a disease or resulting from an abnormal syndrome.” The lecturer began. 

“This is boring.” Wenhan instantly jolted, jumping out of his skin at the sound of Sungjoo’s voice. 

“What the hell.” Wenhan gritted out in a dark whisper. Sungjoo was now sitting in the chair beside him, his feet up on the table. 

“Whatever this old man is talking about is boring. Why the hell are you even here?” Sungjoo generally wanted to know the answer. 

Wenhan opted for ignoring him, since he had to concentrate on his note taking. Sungjoo frowned but gave up easily on trying to get the answers. He closed his eyes, trying to get comfy in his seat. Crossing his arms and snuggling down, Sungjoo decided to sleep. 

Wenhan was diligently taking notes, until he felt something on his shoulder. He rolled his eyes, about to swat Sungjoo away when he noticed that he was sleeping. Sungjoo was resting his head on Wenhan’s shoulder, nuzzling into his grey jumper a little. 

Wenhan sighed, going back to his notes. He couldn’t bring himself to hit or shrug off the sin. And anyway, when he was asleep he looked quite handsome. Wenhan just looked over him a little from the corner of his eye. Sungjoo snored softly. His body was weirdly bent with his legs still on the desk but he was kinda turned into Wenhan. 

A small smile found its way onto Wenhan’s face. He was actually scared of this guy at first, after all, he still didn’t know what he was or how he was going to get free of him. But, there wasn’t really a threatening aura about him. 

The lecture carried on for two hours, with multiple notes and links to videos and websites on the university website. Yixuan stretched his arms over his head, yawning a little as he did.

“That went on a lot longer than I thought.” He started packing away. Wenhan nodded in agreement, packing away his own materials. 

“Did you understand all the Korean?” Wenhan quickly asked knowing that the elder wasn’t 100% confident in his Korean. 

“I think I got it all. There were a few things that I jotted down that I don’t quite understand.” Yixuan gestured to his notebook before putting it into his bag. 

“Maybe you could ask Seungyoun to help out later.” Wenhan winked at the elder before nudging him with his elbow. 

Yixuan rolled his eyes but the tips of his ears turned pink. Wenhan wouldn’t mention how he thought that the elder looked cute, he’d definitely be slaughtered by Yixuan.

“Lets go get some food. We have a couple hours to kill before our practical.” Yixuan had already stood up, throwing his bag onto his back. He turned to Wenhan, seeing as though the other hadn’t moved yet. “Wenhan?” 

Wenhan looked up at the elder, seeing the confusion o n his face. “Uh, you go ahead to the canteen and I’ll catch up, I’m just gonna make a call to my father.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, gesturing to it.

Yixuan frowned, but shrugged it off. “Don’t take too long, or I’ll eat without you.” 

Wenhan watched the elder walk down the stairs towards the exit. He sighed deeply, turning his head to the side. Sungjoo was still sound asleep on his shoulder. He could have just stood up and woken him that way, but Wenhan couldn’t bring himself to do something like that. 

“Hey.” Wenhan patted the Sin’s thigh. “Hey, wake up.” He shook the sin by the thigh a little harder. Sungjoo just made a noise, snuggling back into the comfort of Wenhan’s jumper.

Wenhan frowned, “come on. I wanna get food.” Thankfully everyone else had already left the lecture hall, leaving only the two of them.

Sungjoo still didn’t stir. Wenhan took a deep breath, calming the anger that was suddenly building. He reached over and patted Sungjoo’s head, rather hard. 

“Wake up.” He spoke louder, purposely near the sin’s ear. Still nothing. 

Wenhan frowned, there really was no other way. He shrugged his shoulder away from Sungjoo’s head, causing him to fall. Unfortunately, Sungjoo fell straight into Wenhan’s lap instead. 

The chinese man’s face turned pink, seeing Sungjoo adjust himself to his new pillow. Sungjoo snuggled his face into Wenhan’s stomach as he curled up in a ball. 

He wasn’t a sin, he was a goddamn cat. 

Wenhan got over his embarrassment quickly. He grabbed Sungjoo’s bicep, actually surprised at the firmness of the muscle under his grip. 

“Wake up, Sungjoo!” Wenhan snapped, shaking the sin by the arm. 

“Just… five more hours…” Sungjoo mumbled, jolting softly before settling again. 

Wenhan’s phone started buzzing, indicating that he’d received a message. 

From: XuanXuanGe

I found Seungyoun and Yibo in the canteen. Where are you? Hope your father is okay :) :) :) 

Wenhan smiled before his eyes caught sight of the sin again. He needed to wake him up, or at least move him. 

Wenhan scooped an arm around Sungjoo, lifting him up from his lap. He was heavy, as a grown man of his height should be. What was he? A ghost or spirit should be light, right? Being nothing but energy. 

“You need to get up, we’re leaving.” Wenhan leaned the sim back against his chair. Sungjoo just hummed but didn’t even bother to move. 

Wenhan just rolled his eyes, standing up and taking his leave. He wasn’t going to just stand and wait for the Sin. The Chinese man grabbed his bag and started walking out of the room. 

Sungjoo felt a slight tightness in his stomach, almost making him sick. He opened his eyes, only to realise that he was starting to fade away and fast. 

The sin sprang to his seat, looking around the now empty lecture hall. Where did Wenhan go anyway? He’d just left him; what kind of person…? 

Sungjoo didn’t actually know what happened when Wenhan was too far away. He looked down at his hands again, easily seeing through them. 

Perhaps his soul would return to the pendant to recover, or maybe he’d disappear. Sungjoo day back down, honestly the latter didn’t sound that bad. He’d been ‘alive’ in hell for so long. Did dying in the world a second truly mean the end? 

Sure, Sungjoo could get up and try and find Wenhan. But it seemed like way too much effort. Sungjoo just closed his eyes and leaned back, going to at least find out the answer to one of the questions. 

Wenhan easily found his friends in the canteen, What with Seungyoun waving too enthusiastically in his direction. He walked over towards the food counter first, seeing as though all the others had their food. 

Once Wenhan had a bowl of ramen and side of mandu, he made his way towards the table. He set his food down, but before he could even take a step to sitting a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. 

Wenhan suddenly felt extremely lightheaded. There was a sickening feeling in his stomach and his eyesight was going dark. Oh god, what was happening?

“Wenhan hyung, are you okay?” Seungyoun asked with concern. 

Wenhan couldn’t even answer, he suddenly couldn’t see anything. Everything went blank. He’d passed out. 

Sungjoo suddenly jolted awake, and felt a sudden rush of life surge through him. He was lying on the floor again, looking up at the white ceiling. 

He was about to sit up when the sound of voices caught his attention. Sungjoo turned his head to the left. He was lying beside the bed, and he could easily see under it to the other side due to the high legs and thin mattress. 

“Do you know why he might have fainted?” Someone in a white lab-type coat asked. 

“I… I don’t know.” Sungjoo recognised that voice. It was the Korean swimmer, and judging by the other two people the Chinese swimmers were there too. 

“Wenhan has never fainted like that before.” Yibo crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes reflecting worry. 

“He always takes good care of his health, and he was fine this morning.” Yixuan added, ruffling the back of his hair. 

“He didn’t eat anything out of the ordinary?” The lab coat guy asked. 

“Heechul-seonsaengnim,” Seungyoun’s eyes were wide as he looked at the doctor. “I’m worried. Wenhan-hyung had only just sat down to eat when he fainted.” 

“I see.” Heechul nodded. 

Sungjoo forced himself to sit up, finally seeing Wenhan laying on the bed. The sin shifted, sitting on his knees and looking over the human. 

There was a pang of guilt in Sungjoo’s chest. His pendant was still around Wenhan’s neck, a barely visible glow just fading away. 

Sungjoo sighed, glancing away. Being separated by too much distance had caused Sungjoo’s physical form to become unstable. He’d stolen more soul energy from Wenhan to regain his physical form again. 

Sungjoo looked over the Chinese man. He was unconscious, but at least his breathing was thankfully normal. The sin shuffled a little closer, leaning over the bed to look at Wenhan’s face. 

“Will he be okay?” Yibo asked, catching Sungjoo’s attention as well. He wanted to know the answer too. 

“I’m sure he will.” Heechul smiled reassuringly, before placing a comforting hand on the youngest’s shoulder. “For now, I’ll let him rest here and when he wakes up I’ll send him home the day.” 

“We’ll make sure to tell Han Geng at afternoon practice.” Yixuan bowed his head to the doctor. “Thank you.” 

”Thank you too.” Heechul smiled at the three students. “Now, you guys should get to class. I’ll take good care of Wenhan.” 

Yixuan nodded once again, before grabbing both Seungyoun and Yibo. They shouldn’t just linger over Wenhan anyway. 

Sungjoo watched the swimmers leave, before glancing at Heechul. The doctor took Wenhan’s temperature again before covering him up more with the sheet. He closed the curtain around Wenhan, giving him privacy as he slept. 

Wenhan’s head felt heavy, but at least he was now starting to feel his body awaken. He slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the white ceiling above him. 

“What…?” He mumbled, forcing himself to sit up. It didn’t take long to realise that he was in the infirmary. 

Wenhan groaned, rubbing at his head. His eyes suddenly caught sight of Sungjoo. The Sin sat at the foot of the bed, his head hung low and his eyes downcast. 

“Sungjoo?” Wenhan called out to him, immediately getting his attention. Sungjoo stared at the human, a wave of relief washing over him. 

“Hey, you’re okay.” Sungjoo muttered out, not really knowing what to say. 

“What happened?” Wenhan rhetorically asked, stretching his arms a little. His entire body felt sore and weak. 

“I…” Sungjoo turned away from Wenhan, not wanting to look at him. He may be a sin, but he still had a guilty conscience. “I’m sorry.” 

“Sorry? For what?” Wenhan rubbed his head gently, feeling a burning pain there. 

“If we didn’t let the distance get so vast then this wouldn’t have happened.” Sungjoo started, his tone becoming serious. “I need your soul to keep me in this form. If you’re too far away, all of what’s left of me returns to my pendant. From there I’ll take your soul energy again to regain this form.” 

“You’re… taking my soul energy?” Wenhan was confused. 

“Since our souls are bonded now, it’s like we share one life force. The further from each other we are the weaker I become.” Sungjoo was trying his best to explain. “Once I’m back at a safe distance with you I’ll…” he faded out into a sigh. 

“You’re taking my soul so that you can have a body?” Wenhan frowned, his fists clenching into the sheets. 

Sungjoo nodded. “Honestly, I don’t know what will happen to either of us if I keep having to regenerate like that.” He looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fingers. 

“You don’t know what will happen?” Wenhan scoffed, finding that unbelievable. 

“I can make a wild assumption.” Sungjoo turned dark eyes on the Chinese man. “If I continue to take your life force, you may eventually die.” 

Wenhan tensed at that. He shuffled backwards towards the headrest. “You really are a demon, aren’t you?” He needed to find a way to sort this. Maybe an exorcist would solve it. 

Sungjoo shrugged, not really knowing the answer to that himself. “I am sorry though. I didn’t know that would happen.” He did sound weirdly sincere. 

Wenhan remained silent, pushing the sin to continue talking. “I honestly thought that when I ran out of your soul energy I would disappear. Just, completely from the world.” Sungjoo sighed. 

“You wanna go back to hell that badly?” Wenhan frowned. He’d only known the sin for a day and he was already angering him. 

“No.” The tone of Sungjoo’s voice made Wenhan realise what he meant. 

“You… want to die?” 

It was almost horrible how calm Sungjoo sounded as he even mentioned it. “Well, in a way.” 

Wenhan looked down at the floor for a second, feeling bad for the sin. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say. 

“Don’t be.” Sungjoo turned his big eyes back on the Chinese man. “I’m sure deep down, all seven of us feel like this from time to time.” 

Wenhan was about to say something when the sound of the door opened. Heechul’s head popped through the curtain, smiling as he saw Wenhan awake. 

“Feeling better?” Heechul stepped closer, taking the swimmer’s temperature again.

“I’m fine.” Wenhan answered, but continuously watched Sungjoo. The Sin was just staring at his lap. 

Heechul explained how Wenhan had the rest of the day off. “No more swimming until tomorrow. You need rest at home too.”

Wenhan nodded, a small chuckle escaping. The rest of the check up didn’t take too long, and soon Wenhan was packing his bag ready to go home. 

“Get a lot of rest, okay?” Heechul patted the younger’s back. Wenhan smiled and nodded, before leaving the infirmary. 

Sungjoo was walking quite a bit behind him, his head hung low. Wenhan sighed, suddenly stopping in his tracks and turning around. 

The sin stopped too, lifting his head. “What’s wrong?” 

“You didn’t intentionally make me pass out, right?” Wenhan questioned. 

“I didn’t know what would happen.” Sungjoo admitted, eyes glancing away. Honestly it hadn’t occurred to him that Wenhan could have died if he did. 

“Then it’s not your fault, okay?” Wenhan’s words caught Sungjoo off guard. 

“What?” Sungjoo frowned. 

“Don’t feel bad, I’m okay so it’s not like you did anything purposefully.” Wenhan smiled sweetly before turning back around and walking in the direction of his apartment. 

Sungjoo couldn’t help but smile too. Wenhan was way too forgiving. There was no telling how this was all going to play out. 

Wenhan was obviously an active sportsman, and Sungjoo was the Sin Of Sloth. There was no way they were going to get along in this. Sungjoo was too lazy to keep with the swimmer, there was only more hell ahead. He could already foresee it.


	9. IX

Dongwoon returned with the water for Kikwang. Before the elder could get a word in Dongwoon had told him to go home. 

“I’ll text you later tonight and if you’re feeling better we can head out.” Dongwoon placed his comforting hand on Kikwang’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. 

Kikwang sat down on one of the swivel chairs, watching Dongwoon pack his things into his bag for him. “You don’t have to do that Dongwoonnie.” Kikwang was turning his laptop off as he spoke. 

“It’s okay.” Dongwoon smiled softly. He held Kikwang’s bag out for him, his face too sweet to reject. 

Kikwang sighed, taking his bag and popping his laptop inside. “Thank you, Dongwoon.” 

“It’s okay.” Dongwoon pulled the elder into a hug. 

“Ooh, what’s this?” Doojoon’s voice stated. “I thought you said you weren’t interested in men?” 

Kikwang glared at the Sin over Dongwoon’s shoulder. Doojoon was sat cross-legged on the desk, fiddling with the wires of one of the library computers. 

“Get some rest, hyung.” Dongwoon pulled out of the hug, ruffling Kikwang’s hair. 

“I will.” Kikwang started walking out of the library, knowing that Dongwoon would wait to make sure he actually left. 

“Oops.” Doojoon grinned, jumping off the desk. He followed after Kikwang with a bright smile, just watching the way he walked. 

“Don’t follow me.” Kikwang frowned, quickening his pace. Doojoon just smirked, keeping up with the human’s short stature. 

“Since you have my pendant you won’t be able to be rid of me, sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry, if anything he sounded amused. 

Kikwang rolled his eyes. Maybe he’d pay a visit to the garage and get the chain snapped. “What if I find a way to break the chain? I can give you the necklace back and we can go our separate ways.”

Doojoon raised an eyebrow at the offer. “I don’t know what will happen if you break the chain.” He shrugged, “you can try it, but we both might die.” 

“What?!” Kikwang stopped in his tracks, half way down the stairs. “Die?!” 

“Yep.” Doojoon sat on the banister, suddenly sliding down the rest of the stairs. “Our souls are connected now, so I guess whatever happens to me happens to you, and vice versa.” It wasn’t the most convincing answer, but Kikwang couldn’t even think of an argument. 

Kikwang sighed deeply, rubbing at his temples. He walked towards the bus stop, just wanting to go home for now. Doojoon obviously followed, but he looked extremely confused at everything. 

Kikwang sat down on the bench, pulling his notebook out of his bag. He pushed his glasses further up his nose before consulting the pages. Doojoon stood right by the side of the road, eyes watching the cars pass by.

Kikwang looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. “What are you doing?” He asked, glad that there was no one else around the bus stop. Others couldn't see Doojoon right? So it would look weird talking to himself.

“I’ve never actually seen cars in real life.” Doojoon commented seriously, actually amazed at the machines driving past him. 

“Are you serious?” Kikwang wouldn't actually believe that. Where exactly was this guy from? 

Doojoon turned back around to look at Kikwang, a large grin spreading over his face. “Would you believe me?” He watched as the human rolled his eyes. 

“Everything else by now has been pretty unbelievable, yet here you are.” Kikwang looked back down at his notebook, trying to concentrate on his work as always. 

Doojoon threw himself onto the bench beside Kikwang, looking over his shoulder at the notes. “Believe it or not but I’m from a time where we used horses to get around.” He smirked at Kikwang’s suddenly shocked face. 

“What? That’s impossible.” Kikwang rolled his eyes, turning a little so his back was facing the sin more. Everything about Doojoon was unbelievable, but still he was there and Kikwang was pretty sure he wasn’t going crazy. Or was he? Was Doojoon perhaps that embodiment of his stress and fatigue from relentless work? 

Doojoon chuckled, leaning back and looking up at the sky. “I’ve been stuck in a purgatory-like prison for centuries, I know it.” He tilted his head towards the human again. 

Kikwang gave the sin a glare, “stop kidding me.” He shoved his notes back into his bag knowing that he wasn't going to get much studying done. “You speak and dress like you’re from the present, so don’t pretend that you’re not.”

“Well, actually since Lucifer wanted us to keep up to date, we were shown how humans evolved.” Doojoon ruffled his own hair, a distant look in his eye. “It’s been so long since I felt the wind… seen the sun.” He smiled as he closed his eyes. 

“You’re a prisoner?” Kikwang questioned. He really hated his nosy personality, since now he was starting to feel interested in the Sin. 

Doojoon looked over towards the human, his eyes looking dark before a grin took over his face. “Well, I’m your prisoner now.” He hooked his finger into the chain around kikwang’s neck again. 

Kikwang quickly swatted the Sin’s hand away, causing Doojoon to laugh again. Thankfully Kikwang didn’t have to deal with the after effects since the bus was now in view.

Kikwang stood from the bench, flagging down the bus. He stepped on and showed the driver his pass. Doojoon just followed him, once again amazed. He’d never seen a car in real life so why would he have ever been on a bus. 

Kikwang sat on one of the free double seats, shuffling up to the window. Doojoon instantly sat next to him - a little too close for Kikwang’s liking. He purposefully put his arm around Kikwang’s shoulder, feeling way too casual. 

The bus ride was awkward to say the least, Doojoon was way too close and wouldn’t let Kikwang go. As much as Kikwang wanted to tell Doojoon to back away, there were a lot of people on the bus. 

When his stop finally came, Kikwang shoved at the sin. Doojoon shot up from his chair, letting Kikwang go first. He followed after the human, watching him carefully as he bowed his head to the driver and stepped off. 

Kikwang purposefully stood by the door, leaving Doojoon confused. The bus’s doors suddenly shut, with Doojoon still on the bus. Kikwang turned around, watching the bus drive away with the Sin still on. 

Kikwang quickly turned and ran from the bus stop. If he could just get away from Doojoon then he’d be alright. He didn’t have the time or patience to play along with him. Whether he was a demon or not, Kikwang really didn’t want to get involved with that shit. 

Just as he reached the door to his apartment there was a sudden explosion of pink smoke. Kikwang froze in his tracks, seeing Doojoon stood with his arms crossed as the smoke faded. 

“You tried to get rid of me?” The sin snarled, stalking up to Kikwang. The shorter couldn’t help but take steps back, actually afraid. 

Doojoon had run Kikwang into the wall beside the stairwell. He placed his hand on the brick beside Kikwang’s head, trapping him. “Well? You thought that would get rid of me? Are you that naive?” 

“Shut up.” Kikwang frowned at the sin. He shoved hard at Doojoon’s chest, only to get a sarcastic eyebrow raise. 

“I’ve told you.” Doojoon smirked a little, seeing the small tremble from the human. “As long as you possess my pendant there’s no getting rid of me.” He leaned down, his nose brushing against Kikwang’s. The shorter pulled back, but thumped his head on the concrete behind him. 

Doojoon laughed, ruffling Kikwang’s hair. Kikwang smacked his hand away before shoving past him. He walked over towards his apartment, pulling out his keys and letting himself inside. 

Doojoon evaporated into pink smoke again, suddenly appearing right in front Kikwang. “AH! What the hell!? Can you not do that?” The human backhanded the sin’s arm. Doojoon didn’t mind, it’s not like it hurt or anything. 

“I can’t help it. Teleporting is fun.” Doojoon was actually surprised that Lucifer had gifted them with such an ability on Earth. He’d thought that maybe the Underlord would want them to struggle more but alas. 

Kikwang re-locked the door before kicking his shoes off. He made his way into the living area, placing his bag on the sofa before collapsing on it. He was rubbing at his face; how was he supposed to sort out this situation? 

Kikwang glanced up from his hands, seeing Doojoon snooping around. The sin was definitely nosy, looking through Kikwang’s drawers and everything. “Are you finished?” 

Doojoon looked over at the sound of Kikwang’s voice. “You have a lot of medical books, what's that about?” 

“I’m studying to be a doctor. Hopefully a surgeon.” Kikwang glanced towards his bookshelf, which consisted of only medical books. 

Doojoon nodded at that. “We didn’t really have surgeon’s in my time.” He took one of the books off the shelf, flicking through the pages. “We had to rely on our bodies to heal themselves.” 

“That’s why infections can be worse than the actual wound.” Kikwang said knowingly. 

Doojoon chuckled again, “where were you when I was wounded in battle, Lee Kikwang seonsaengnim?” 

“Battle?” Kikwang couldn’t help but ask, the word stood out. 

Doojoon’s expression dropped, his smile no longer there. He turned away from the human, placing the book back on the shelf. Kikwang stood up from the sofa, starting to feel a little concerned. 

“Doojoon-ssi?” Kikwang called out. 

“Whoa, drop the -ssi.” Doojoon waved his hand nonchalantly, “ain’t nobody got time for that.” 

“You were involved in a battle?” Kikwang asked again, trying to start the conversation. 

“Yes. Centuries ago.” Doojoon turned to the human, his grin back.

“What happened? Is that how you died?” Kikwang questioned, his eyes searching the sin’s. 

“Hell no!” Doojoon laughed it off again, shaking his head. “I am a good fighter, no way would I have died on the battlefield or because of a wound.” 

Kikwang furrowed his brows a little, stepping up towards the sin again. He was closing the gap between them, and Doojoon easily noticed. “How did you die then?” Kikwang asked. 

Doojoon stepped forwards a little. “I don’t remember.” He suddenly wrapped an arm around Kikwang’s waist, catching the human off guard. 

“Hey, wha-!”

“You approached me first,” Doojoon cut Kikwang off, his other hand cupping his jaw, “did you forget that I’m the sin of Lust?” 

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Kikwang frowned as he tried to step back, away from the sin. 

“You’re very cute.” Doojoon leaned down suddenly, lifting Kikwang’s chin at the same time. He pressed his lips to Kikwang’s catching the human off guard. 

Kikwang shoved at Doojoon’s chest, successfully pushing him back to exclaim, “what the hell are you doing?!” 

“Cute.” Doojoon placed his thumb on Kikwang’s chin, pulling down and opening his mouth. Without hesitation he swooped back down, kissing Kikwang deeply. 

Doojoon’s tongue entered the human’s mouth, skillfully licking and rubbing at all of his sensitive spots. Kikwang was shoving at the sin’s chest, but Doojoon’s arm around his waist and on his chin were like steel. 

Kikwang was starting to feel a little weak in the knees. Doojoon was really good at kissing, almost too good. He had to do something. On impulse, Kikwang bit Doojoon’s tongue, hard.

Doojoon smirked into the kiss, but pulled back only a few seconds later. He released Kikwang completely, letting the human scramble away from him. 

“Very vicious, Kiki.” Doojoon licked his lips, looking down at the human. 

Kikwang rubbed at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Why did you do that!? I’m a man!” 

Doojoon rolled his eyes - how many times had he heard that line? “I’m not blind. I can see you’re a man.” And just my type too. He held the last part back, since Kikwang looked angry. 

“You can’t just kiss people without their permission! It’s sexual harassment!” Kikwang rubbed at his mouth more frantically. 

“Eh? It’s only a kiss.” Doojoon shrugged, thinking nothing about it. 

Kikwang just frowned, “stay in here while I shower.” He just wanted to clean himself down. 

Doojoon nodded, though it would be a thrill to watch the human shower. Maybe he’d take a peek later. 

Kikwang stormed towards the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, only to see that his face was flushed. He hadn’t had a girlfriend in a long time and now he was being kissed by a man. 

Doojoon heard the soft hum of the shower and decided that he’d leave Kikwang for now. He walked around the apartment, making sure that he’d scanned everything. 

Kikwang’s bedroom was last, and Doojoon was a little disappointed. Only a double bed? He was hoping for at least a queen size. Whatever, it didn’t really matter. 

The room itself was pretty small, only a wardrobe and bookshelf with more medical books. Doojoon flopped down onto Kikwang’s bed, spreading his arms and legs wide like a starfish. 

He couldn’t help but wonder what Lucifer might be planning in all of this. Why would they be sent to Earth, and then have their souls infused with humans. Were the others all the same? 

Doojoon just stared up at the ceiling. How was he even going to break free from Kikwang’s soul? There was no guarantee that him or the human would be alright if they separated. 

Surely Wonjun would know. After all, he was Lucifer’s favourite and conversed with him now and again. Maybe Wonjun was in on it all, just maybe. 

“Why are you in here?” Kikwang entered the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and a smaller one used to ruffle at his damp hair. 

Doojoon sat up immediately, eyes dragging up and down the human’s body. Kikwang was actually very lean and gorgeous. 

Doojoon’s eyes lidded a little, his lips parting softly. Kikwang glanced down at himself suddenly feeling self conscious and embarrassed. 

“C-can you leave? I wanna get dressed.” Kikwang held the small towel over his chest to hide himself a little. 

“Don’t be embarrassed, you’ve got a good body.” The sin winked at the human, watching his face turn bright red. 

Kikwang quickly went to his wardrobe, grabbing some clothes. He shuffled back towards the bathroom, slamming the door shut again. 

Doojoon smirked, another chuckle leaving him. Lee Kikwang was an interesting guy, and Doojoon was starting to find him interesting. 

Kikwang returned to the bedroom with some joggers and a baggy shirt. He glared at Doojoon before turning and making his way back into the living room. 

After flopping down on the sofa, Kikwang got his phone out of his pocket. He saw that there was a text from Dongwoon, asking whether or not he was going to come out for a few drinks. 

Kikwang really didn't want to let the younger down again, but he couldn’t risk Doojoon making a scene in public. Even if others couldn't see him, Kikwang could and that was enough to put him off. 

He sent Dongwoon a message back saying that he was going to catch up on some reading and then go to bed. Kikwang smiled as he sent a cheeky ‘invite Hyunseung ;)’.

Doojoon was leaning over the back, reading Kikwang’s messages as he typed away. “Is Dongwoon that tall guy from earlier?” He questioned, making the human jump out of his skin. 

“Do you have to hang around me? Gimme some space.” Kikwang stood up, walking towards the kitchenette and opening the fridge. 

“Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.” Doojoon smirked, laying down on the sofa. “Let's get along, okay? I could make you feel real good, ya know?” 

Kikwang grimaced, grabbing a bottle of water. He sat down at the small table in the kitchen area, where there were already books ready for the reading. He sat down, opening where he’d left off from ‘Being Mortal’ by Atul Gawande.

Doojoon sat up, looking over the back of the sofa at Kikwang. It was actually weird that the human didn’t seem interested in him. Even after kissing him, Kikwang seemed to brush it off like it was nothing. 

“Are you a virgin?” Doojoon asked, loud. 

“What?” Kikwang frowned, turning around to glare at the sin. “No I’m not, and if I were would it matter to you? No it wouldn’t.” 

Doojoon frowned, “so are you not pent up, or you have a girl on the side?” 

“What the hell…!” Kikwang stood up dramatically, turning to glare at the sin as best he could. He wasn’t good at the angry facade. “What is your problem? What’s with all the personal questions?” 

Doojoon suddenly puffed into pink smoke, reappearing right in front of Kikwang. Doojoon trapped Kikwang between his arms as he slammed them onto the wall. 

“I don’t think you understand how us Sins work.” Doojoon smirked, leaning closer to the small human. “Sins are an act of transgression against divine law. We go against the laws of God for our Sins. I am Lust, you must know what I want, right?” 

Kikwang’s face turned red, his heart beating fast as embarrassment overtook him. “Then go find it elsewhere! I’m not a girl!” 

“Are you that slow?” Doojoon chuckled, leaning closer again. His nose brushed against Kikwang’s making the human jolt back, hitting his head on the wall.

Doojoon grinned, “I prefer boys to girls anyway.” 

Kikwang quickly dived under Doojoon’s arm, escaping the trap. He ran to the other side of the apartment, his heart beating like crazy and his breathing heavy. 

Doojoon crossed his arms, leaning on the wall as he watched the human. He couldn’t help but think that the small human was adorable. “You’re easily embarrassed, huh?” 

“Shut up.” Kikwang hugged himself, not even bothering to turn to the sin. “I’ve never had a man flirt with me like this, okay? I am not interested in men.” 

“You act like no one’s flirted with you for awhile.” Doojoon laughed, “and trust me, this isn’t me flirting. I can be worse.” 

“Please don’t, I’m seriously not interested.” Kikwang was aware that he couldn’t get rid of the sin anytime soon, but that didn’t mean he was going to accept him. Especially if he was the Sin of Lust. 

After a couple more hours of avoiding Doojoon everytime he got too close, Kikwang decided that he’d had enough. He was already feeling tired from the university day, and having Doojoon around had just added on top of it all. 

“You can sleep on the sofa.” Kikwang gestured to where Doojoon was already laying weirdly, his feet over the back and his head on the floor. 

“Here? I’d prefer the bed.” Doojoon scoffed, his arms crossed as he looked up at Kikwang. 

“Look, I know that we have no choice but I’m not going to sleep with you. I still need my personal space. Please, just sleep here.” Kikwang quickly escaped to the bedroom, not giving the sin any time to answer. 

Doojoon sighed, hearing the door slam after the human. He quickly flipped onto his feet, making his way towards the window. It had gotten dark pretty fast. The darkness reminded Doojoon of their dungeon home in Hell.

Doojoon leaned against the window frame, looking up at the sky. It was nice to see the moon and stars. Doojoon smiled, though the lights from the city were interfering a little it was still better than nothing. Staring at a concrete ceiling for centuries could mess a guy up. 

After hours of just staring at the sky, Doojoon let a sigh pass his lips. What was their purpose for being there, why was Lucifer doing this to them? Was he going to give them this freedom and then just drag them back into the abyss? 

Doojoon rolled his eyes, turning away from the window. He looked at the sofa for a second, just laughing internally at the thought of sleeping there. 

This was Doojoon’s chance to feel someone in his arms again, was he going to let it pass? Of course he wasn’t. 

With another evaporation into pink smoke, Doojoon reappeared in Kikwang’s bedroom. The human was sleeping soundly, cuddled up in his duvet. 

There was no denying, Kikwang looked cute. He was so squished into his pillow and so soft looking, it was making Doojoon’s insides melt. “How cute…” He whispered. 

Doojoon stealthily made his way towards the bed, slipping under the duvet and into the warmth. He immediately felt at peace, feeling the body heat from Kikwang confined in the duvet. 

The sin slithered closer, gently wrapping his arms around Kikwang. He spooned the human softly, bringing him closer to his chest. Kikwang shuffled, instantly turning around in the sin’s hold. 

Doojoon got ready to tease the human but Kikwang didn’t awaken. Instead, the human snuggled closer, nuzzling his face into Doojoon’s chest. The sin was actually a little taken back by the gesture. 

Kikwang continued to snore lightly, his hands resting on Doojoon’s abdomen. The sin smiled, his own arms still around Kikwang. He actually felt at peace like this; it had been such a long time. 

If only Kikwang was more willing. Doojoon would love to show the human what he can do; he could make him cry in the most pleasurable ways. Doojoon was extremely confident in his skills. He didn’t get this Sin role for nothing. 

“I think we’ll get along fine.” Doojoon whispered, resting his forehead against the human’s. Kikwang didn’t stir, he just stayed in his slumbered state. 

Doojoon smirked, letting his own eyes close. He didn’t need to sleep, but he liked this feeling. He liked the feel of Kikwang close to him. It was enough to send him into a peaceful state which was probably as close to sleep as he was going to get.


	10. X

“What does being a Sin mean then?” Junhong asked, sliding past Yongguk and walking down the stairs towards the bathrooms. The Sin obviously followed, not risking letting this human out of his sight. 

At first this human looked like he was scared, but now he just looked interested and calm. Way too calm. Yongguk saw the human disappear into the ‘bathroom’. The Sin rolled his eyes, turning away and walking away from the human. 

Yongguk looked around the building, seeing the different rooms filled with machinery, instruments, microphones, computers, you name it. “What is this place?” 

“This is my university, music department.” Junhong reappeared, his hands behind his back as he grinned. Yongguk glared towards the human, but didn’t bother to actually turn around. 

“University?” Yongguk frowned, looking around again. “I’ve never even heard about that kind of thing.” 

“It’s further education…” Junhong tilted his head. “After high school you can have…” He trailed off, seeing as though Yongguk wasn’t listening to him anymore. 

Yongguk was wondering of possible ways to get his pendant back from the human. Junhong had already started back up the stairs, checking his watch as he did. 

There was a weird feeling the further the human went. Yongguk felt as though he was getting weaker, but then again. Junhong walking away was like his own soul disappearing from him. 

“This is fucking stupid.” Yongguk growled, trucking his way up the stairs after the human. 

Junhong was leaning over the other human’s chair again. Yongguk raised an eyebrow at them both. They were both talking absolute gibberish to Yongguk’s ears. He didn’t know what either of them were talking about. 

“So, what’s your plan after work?” Hangseok asked after getting Junhong’s opinion for the eighth time on his piece. 

“I'm probably going to go to the dance studio.” Junhong smiled, slumping down into the chair beside the elder’s.

“Why do you still go there?” Hangseok frowned. He’d heard all the stories of the amount of bullying that went on towards Junhong. 

“Well, it’s Jongup’s family studio and I don’t get to see him often otherwise.” Junhong missed Jongup. They used to be so close as kids, but then life happened and they ended up going to different high schools and universities. 

Hangseok just nodded before sitting back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring blankly at his computer screen. “I don’t like that place.” 

“It’s not every time,” Junhong reassured, “and Jongup-hyung makes sure that they’re banned.” 

“But there’s no need for anyone to say anything about your height, or your dancing, or anything.” Hangseok tilted his head towards the younger, eyes stern. “Come to Sonic Studio instead.” 

Junhong chuckled, patting the elder’s arm. “I’ll stay at Moon Studio for now.” 

Yongguk sat cross-legged on one of the tables, his arms folded as he just listened in to their conversation. He wondered what the relationship between these two was. Hangseok was obviously older, he carried that hyung aspect. 

Yongguk was confused by the word ‘studio’ and what exactly it meant. He’d heard of the word before, but there were many different ones. He rolled his eyes, frustrated at himself for not even knowing what these humans were talking about. 

“I’m gonna head over to the dance studio too, but shame we don’t dance together.” Hangseok smirked, trying to play the convince card again. 

“You’d be too intimidated anyway, hyung.” Junhong grinned, earning a playful smack to the arm. 

“Cheeky brat.” 

Yongguk watched the interaction between the humans with dark eyes full of interest. What sort of…? 

After a couple more hours of just sitting in the room, Yongguk was starting to lose his self composure. It was almost baffling how Junhong didn’t seem to be more interested, or worried about the Sin that he was now linked with. 

Yongguk would probably have to explain their bond or whatever, and he honestly couldn’t think of anything worse. Junhong was packing away his things, getting ready to go to the ‘studio’. 

“See ya later, hyung!” Junhong patted Hangseok’s head as he walked past his desk. 

“Yeah, yeah. See ya tomorrow, brat.” Hangseok teased, getting a laugh out of the younger.

Yongguk glared towards Hangseok as he swaggered after Junhong. The human pulled a skateboard out of his bag. Yongguk raised an eyebrow as the younger threw the board on the floor. 

Junhong stepped on the board, using one foot to propel himself forwards. Yongguk frowned; had the human actually forgotten that he was there!? 

Junhong skated down the street, feeling as though a good dance would relax his soul. Staring at a screen for hours could really wear out your eyes, but Junhong always had energy to spare.

A suddenly red smoke cloud appeared in front of him. Yongguk was suddenly standing right in front of him, fists clenched and eyes red. Junhong yelped, unable to stop his skateboard in time, forcing him to smack straight into the Sin.

Yongguk was like hitting a brick wall. Junhong fell off his skateboard, straight onto the tarmac. The Sin raised an eyebrow, watching the human struggle on the floor. 

“Where the fuck did you think you were going?” Yongguk gritted out, eyes dark as he glared. 

“I totally forgot...” Junhong lifted himself into the sitting position, rubbing at the back of his head. 

“What, forgot I existed?!” Yongguk snapped, eyes still red. Junhong’s eyes widened as he noticed that the Sin’s entire iris was bright red. They used to be dark brown. 

“Are you wearing contacts?” Junhong quickly scrambled to his feet, leaning over the Sin and staring at him excitedly. 

“Contacts?” Yongguk scoffed. “When my full Sin comes to the surface my eyes turn the colour that represents me. For Wrath it is Red.”

Junhong watched as Yongguk’s irises faded back to brown. “That’s amazing! I’m sorry I just skated off without you. You were just so quiet, I thought you’d already gone.” 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Yongguk growled again, his hand raking through his hair.

“Well, you didn’t seem so happy being there. So I assumed that you’d already-”

“I told you!” Yongguk stalked closer to the human, suddenly grabbing the pendant in his hand and tugging Junhong down so their eyes were level. “I can’t leave without my pendant and as long as you’re wearing it, that means that our souls are intertwined!” 

Junhong just blinked rapidly a few times, almost like he was in a state of shock. Yongguk waited for him to say something, but he just stared blankly.

“Did you even listen to me!” Yongguk released the pendant, letting the human stand straight again.

“Our souls…?” Junhong sounded lost. 

“Yes!” The red was coming back to Yongguk’s eyes. He really wanted to hit this kid, but there was no telling what that might do to him. 

“What do you… mean..?” 

“It means that for now, your soul is keeping my physical form alive!” Yongguk was really bad at explaining. “Without you I’m none existent! I do not know what will happen if one of us gets hurt, or if forcefully severing my pendant from you will do!” 

Junhong was taken back for a while. Yongguk was angry in his tone, but Junhong swore he could see some fear in his eyes. “Are… are you scared of what might happen?” 

“Who the fuck is scared!?” Yongguk snarled. 

Junhong crouched down and picked up his skateboard from the floor. He didn’t actually think to check himself after he’d fallen. Thankfully there were a few scrapes, but no bleeding. 

Yongguk glanced down at the human, seeing him checking his palms and jeans for injury. The Sin sighed, ruffling the back of his hair. “Sorry.” He muttered out, low and barely audible. 

Junhong’s head shot up, his eyes trying to lock with the Sin’s but he wouldn’t turn to him. Junhong just smiled, standing straight again. “Thank you, and don’t worry I’m okay.” 

“I’m not worried.” Yongguk raised an eyebrow, almost challengingly. Junhong just laughed. 

They walked towards the studio, since Junhong was still set on dancing for a couple of hours. Yongguk was trying his best to explain the whole Sin thing. 

“The seven of us are captives, basically pets. Lucifer called us collectables once.” Yongguk stated, just looking at the ground. He was trying not to get angry about it, since he’d already lashed out three times. 

“it‘s amazing to think that things like that actually exist.” Junhong was bewildered by all of the information that the Sin was feeding him. “So there is a place that we all go after life.” 

Yongguk just nodded. He didn’t actually know what came after, being a Sin was like being stuck in purgatory forever. It was weird to think that even his family had moved on into the afterlife without him. 

Junhong glanced towards the Sin, seeing as though he’d gone quiet. He was going to ask, but Moon Studio was coming into view. Yongguk looked up at the building, seeing that it had at least three floors. Must be an expensive place whatever it was. 

As soon as they got inside, Yongguk was aware that it was a dance studio. There were many different rooms, each with a mirrored wall and surround speakers. Junhong was walking casually; he must come here a lot. 

“Junhong , you’re here again!” A short boy jumped out of one of the rooms. He had a huge grin on his face, obviously happy at the tall man's appearance. 

“Jongup-hyung!” Junhong brought the man into a hug, squeezing him. Yongguk flinched back, seeing the affection between them both. 

“Is he perhaps your lover?” Yongguk questioned out loud. 

Junhong had to stop himself from laughing at the Sin. He pulled away from Jongup before asking, “are there any rooms free?”

Jongup ducked back into the room he’d come from, grabbing a notebook. “At the moment there’s only room 10.” he looked up over the book, seeing the grin on Junhong’s face.

“Thank you, hyung!” Junhong hugged Jongup one more time before skipping down the hall. Yongguk raised an eyebrow, but followed the human anway. 

“So, who was that guy?” Yongguk tried again, though he was being ignored slightly. 

Junhong placed his bag on the bench. Yongguk frowned, watching the human walk over towards the stereo speaker. Junhong plugged in his iphone, finding the song that he wanted to dance too. 

“Hey!” Yongguk snapped, forcing Junhong to jump. He turned to the Sin, seeing the snarl on his face. 

“W-what…?” Junhong actually felt a shrill of fear run through him. 

“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re way too calm about the fact that I am not a human and have basically merged with your soul! You’re not even the slightest bit interested! How can you be this calm?!”

Junhong watched the Sin with wide eyes. Yongguk’s irises were a little bit red, his Sin coming in strong. “I… I’m sorry.” Junhong apologised, his voice shaking a little. 

Yongguk just continued to glare. Where the hell were they now anyway? Why was this human just going about his day like usual “You’re a weird human.” 

Junhong licked his lips, eyes becoming downcast. “I’m just not sure how I’m supposed to really react to this. I don’t know what you are, or what this soul bonding thing is. How is this going to affect me, or you? Can we get this thing off me so I can give it back to you?” Junhong grabbed the pendant around his neck. “I’m just trying to carry on instead of wallowing in self panic.” 

“You’re just going to carry on like I’m not here and your life is normal.” Yongguk scoffed, rolling his eyes at the human. He crossed his arms, raising his eyebrow as he watched Junhong shuffle from foot to foot. 

Junhong looked up towards the Sin again. “I’m not sure what we should do.” 

“I could think of a few ways.” Yongguk could probably kill the human and separate their souls, but he wasn’t sure how that would end for him too. Also, Junhong seemed to have a good soul, since Yongguk felt completely normal. He must have had a strong sense of life. Killing him would be a waste. 

Junhong sighed, turning back towards the speakers. “Just.. gimme some time to think.” 

Yongguk frowned, but rolled his eyes. There wasn’t really anything that he could do at the moment. Junhong scrolled through his phone again finding the perfect song. 

Junhong stopped on a Jason Derulo song, pressing play and letting the music fill the room. Yongguk jumped a little at the sudden loud music playing from the speakers. He wasn’t expecting it at all, and definitely not that loud. 

“How is any of this going to help?” Yongguk questioned, speaking loudly over the music. 

“Dancing helps me clear my mind.” Junhong answered in a matter-of-fact way. “I’ll think of something while I dance, just gimme some time.” And with that, he started to move fluidly to the sound. 

Yongguk sighed, leaning against the closest wall and crossing his arms. He tilted his head, just watching the human. Junhong seemed to move effortlessly to the music. 

Junhong closed his eyes as he felt the music more. His limbs moved in sync, nothing looking out of place. The music was loud and thumping, and Yongguk could feel the bass through his body. 

This was all completely out of Yongguk’s comfort zone, what with the loudness of the music and leaving him in the dark with no answers for whatever it was they were going through. He was just left to watch the human dance, which was getting nowhere. 

Yongguk was just watching the human, trying to figure him out completely. He’d noticed his satoori, he was guessing Mokpo. Junhong was currently at university, which Yongguk had heard of prior to meeting the human. He was studying some form of music, but instead of using instruments - which was more Yongguk’s thought when it came to music - but making music through a computer. 

Junhong seemed to be a nice enough person, what with a couple of close friends. He was good at dancing, really good. Yongguk couldn’t look away from the human as he danced, it was almost magical how fantastically he moved. 

Yongguk sighed, leaning back against the wall. This was a pointless waste of time. Why was he here just watching this human dance and do what he wants? 

Boredom was already getting to the Sin, so he decided to stray. It wouldn’t matter anyway. Yongguk walked out of the room, just looking around the building. 

There were more people dancing in other rooms. Yongguk couldn’t help but think that the two guys in the room labeled with a big 6 weren’t as good as Junhong. “That human must train hard.” 

“I heard that Mokpo-kid is in today.” One of them said, making Yongguk stop before he walked away. 

“God again…” The other one scoffed. “Alone again I bet.” 

Yongguk frowned, turning to the room and apperating into the room with the two humans. They both looked a lot older than Junhong, so it was already pathetic that they were clearly talking about him. 

“Didn’t we tell him the other day that he wasn’t welcome here?” 

“Yeah but I guess we weren’t clear enough.” The second one cracked his knuckles suddenly. 

Yongguk scoffed, suddenly cracking his own knuckles. Somehow he wanted to smack these guys. He didn’t have time to really think about the consequences, and instantly punched the closest guy in the head. 

The human suddenly smacked into the other guy, making them both fall to the floor. “What the fuck are you doing!?” The none hit guy yelled. 

“What the fuck?! Something just hit me super hard! Fuck that super hurt!” 

“What are you talking about!” 

“You hit me didn’t you bastard! What the fuck!” 

Yongguk smirked, watching the two humans start to bicker and fight. It was funny how easily humans turned on each other. There really wasn’t any hope for them, not now they were shouting at each other. 

“Stupid humans.” Yongguk laughed. 

Junhong could hear shouting from down the hall. He quickly paused his music, hearing the fight a lot more clearer. Junhong glanced over towards where the Sin was, only to see that he was no longer there. 

“Yongguk?” Junhong’s eyes widened; when did the Sin disappear? The shouting was suddenly getting louder. “Sin of Wrath…” The human quickly ran out of the room, only to see a lot of other people crowded around one room. 

Jongup was in room 6, trying to break apart a fight between two dancers. Junhong recognised the two dancers as some of the people that seemed to hate him. Weirdly he couldn’t see Yongguk, just the two guys yelling and on the verge of hitting each other. 

“Yongguk, where are you?” Junhong whispered under his breath. 

“What?” Yongguk was suddenly next to the tall human, looking pretty smug. 

Junhong grabbed Yongguk’s hand, pulling him back towards room 10. No one noticed the tall youth as he pulled nothing. Junhong shut the door after them, sighing deeply. 

Yongguk ripped his arm away from the human, but Junhong didn’t think anything of it. “What did you do?” He asked, frowning at the Sin. 

“Nothing.” Yongguk rolled his eyes. “They were pissing me off so I couldn’t help but…” He cracked one knuckle in the opposite palm. 

“You hit them?! But you’re not human and you’re… Are you allowed to do that?!” Junhong couldn’t help but worry about what this might mean. What if Yongguk was punished by Hell, or even Heaven.

“I don’t care.” Yongguk frowned. “If someone annoys me I’m not just going to let it go.” He walked further into the room, looking down at Junhong’s phone like he knew how to use it. 

“You can’t just hit people! You shouldn’t let your anger get to you.” Junhong’s eyes became downcast, knowing that his words probably meant nothing about the Sin. 

Yongguk laughed, deep and hearty. “I am the Sin of Wrath, and yet you’re telling me not to get angry. Why don’t I just ask you not to breathe?” He couldn’t help the laugh that kept bubbling up again. 

Junhong actually let the Sin’s words sync in. Yongguk had basically said that his Sin was just like breathing, that was how natural it was Yongguk turned towards the human, seeing that he looked lost within his thoughts. 

“What?” 

Junhong jumped, hearing the deep grumble. “W-what about what?” 

“You look like you want to say something, so say it.” Yongguk’s eyes narrowed, feeling irritated. 

“I’m just… how can you be so angry for no reason? I… I just don’t know how you do it.” Junhong didn’t actually know why he felt so calm talking to the Sin like this. Surely Yongguk was dangerous, especially because of Wrath but also because he seemed like a violent person. Right? 

“It’s my Sin. It is natural.” Yongguk growled, turning back to the speakers.

“What made you so angry that you hit that guy?” Junhong asked, his voice low and quiet. 

Yongguk was silent for a while, actually trying to find the answer to that. He’d never actually stopped to think about why or how he got angry, he just did. He didn’t even remember what the two humans had said that ended up in a physical lash out. 

“I don’t know.” Yongguk finally replied, shrugging his shoulders. “When I’m angry, I’m just angry. I don’t think about why.” 

Junhong blinked a couple times at that, actually confused at how Yongguk could possibly function like that. “Are you… always angry?” The questions were all coming to him now. 

Yongguk rolled his eyes, already annoyed at the question. “Not all the time. But I am easily irritated and that escalates to anger quicker than you probably blink.” 

Junhong’s eyes shifted away for a second. The Sin was facing Junhong again, watching his body language. Was mentioning his blinking making the human self conscious or something?

“How… how many times have you been angry at me since we met?” Junhong was slow as he spoke, almost like he was choosing the right words. 

“More times than I can count.” Yongguk didn’t have any hesitation in answering, but his eyes were watching the human carefully. Junhong just nodded, once again lost in his thoughts. 

There was a suffocating silence that suddenly overtook the entire room. Junhong was at a loss for words, he wasn’t sure what he should say. Was it possible that no matter what he said the Sin would be angry at him? 

Yongguk sighed, rubbing at his eyes with his hand. “Are we finished here? Staying here is starting to bore me.” 

Junhong snapped out of his inner thoughts. “S-sure. Just let me pack my stuff.” He was quick about gathering his things, but double checked that he didn’t leave anything. 

Yongguk followed the human out as soon as he exited. “Oh, Junhong. You’re leaving already?” Jongup appeared, looking more than worn out. He must have finally got the two fighting dancers to leave. Junhong made a mental note to buy Jongup some teriyaki beef rolls next time. 

Yongguk didn’t really like this guy, he was weirdly happy and caring - especially towards Junhong. The taller boy smiled at Jongup, his eyes and nose scrunching up. 

“Something came up at university that I can’t ignore.” Junhong pulled Jongup into a hug before saying goodbye. Yongguk just raised an eyebrow, seeing their weirdly affectionate friendship once again. 

Junhong pulled back first, “I’ll see you later, hyung. Don’t miss me too much!” And with that they had finally left the building. 

“So what is the plan now?” Yongguk questioned. He couldn’t help but recall the fact that they were basically stuck together now. It was beyond frustrating that even on Earth he wasn’t free to do what he wanted like centuries before. 

“I guess for now we go home and plan from there.” Junhong quickly glanced around, making sure no one was around as he spoke. It would be weird to see him talking to himself. 

“Then we can discuss how to separate our souls.” It hadn’t even been a day and Yongguk was already tired of the position he was in. If Lucifer was planning on amplifying Yongguk’s wrath he was going about it right.


	11. XI

Minsu woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. It was currently 8:45, making him groan at the early start. He’d promised Jaehwan that he'd clean up the studio this morning, so he would mop around the floor before showering and getting ready for the day. 

Minsu wasn’t even fully awake when he dragged himself out of bed. He shuffled out his room and down the stairs, rubbing some of the sleepy out of his eyes.

He easily reached for the broom, since it was always near the bottom on the stairs. Minsu started sweeping, but thankfully the floor wasn’t too bad since yesterday. 

Wonjun had noticed that the human hadn’t even acknowledged him. He hadn’t slept at all, since it wasn’t necessary. 

The sin spent most of the night snooping around the small apartment and dance studio. He’d also spent the hours wondering how he would find the others. 

Wonjun was actually annoyed. Annoyed at the fact that Lucifer had basically given him the most irritating and gruelling task. How was he supposed to find the other six when he was now bonded to a pathetic human. 

Wonjun was on the last step, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. He watched Minsu sweep the floor, yawning now and then. 

Minsu had managed to make the studio look presentable, almost professional like. Wonjun wasn’t impressed at all, since even a kid could mop the floor. 

“Are you done?” 

Minsu jumped instantly, eyes wondering as he locked eyes with the sin. He could feel his heart drop, watching Wonjun smirk at him. 

“You’re still here?” Minsu asked, his tone as dark as he could muster. 

Wonjun chuckled, stepping down onto the floor and stalking towards the human. “Where did you think I’d go?” 

Minsu pulled his eyes away from the sin. He would never admit out loud but he was intimidated by Wonjun. The aura that he carried about himself was almost suffocating. 

“I thought you would have just fucked off,” Minsu took one step past Wonjun, before he was suddenly shoved into the closest mirror. 

“You’re not very good at remembering, are you?” Wonjun growled, his fist gripping to his pendant. Minsu glanced down at it, though his chest was heaving and his heart thudding hard. 

Wonjun raised an eyebrow. He could practically feel the human’s heart beating crazily. No matter how much of a strong front Minsu put on, it was obvious that he was terrified. 

“W-Why don’t you just take it then?” Minsu didn’t want this man to stay longer than necessary. 

Wonjun sighed. “I told you yesterday, if it was that simple, I would have done it by now.” 

Minsu growled, suddenly slamming both hands into the sin’s chest. Wonjun was caught off guard, stumbling backwards. His eyes narrowed, but Minsu didn’t back down. 

“Then if you’re gonna stay here with me there’s gonna be some rules.” Minsu pointed at Wonjun, keeping his confidence. “I’m still not sure what you are, but you’re not allowed to interfere with my life. Stay in the background and keep to yourself!” 

Wonjun stood silent for a while, making Minsu feel a little insecure. After a few minutes Wonjun suddenly laughed, cold and dark. 

“I don’t want to be part of your life, but there’s something you need to do for me.” He stalked closer to the human again, crowding him closer to the mirror. 

“What?” Minsu tried to calm his breathing, but it was almost impossible. 

“You know that I’m in charge of finding the others, but I can’t go anywhere without you now.” Wonjun leaned his arm on the mirror above Minsu’s head. He leaned closer to the human, narrowing his eyes a little. “You’re going to take me to find them, got it?” 

“You’re joking? I’m not doing that. Who knows where they are?” Minsu wasn’t going on a goose chase for the sin. He’d rather just get some pliers and give the necklace back. 

Wonjun was about to talk again when Minsu suddenly slipped out from under him. “I’m getting ready for university. I’m not letting you take over my life!” 

Wonjun watched as the human ran up the stairs. He rolled his eyes before sitting down on the second step. He needed to calculate a plan. There was no way he was going to find them all anytime soon, though he was sure that Lucifer would have let them all fall in the same region. Maybe in the same city. 

Still, Wonjun was aware of how big Seoul now was. He raked his fingers through his hair before rubbing at his face. He would have to drag Minsu around the entire city, even for a glimpse of the others. 

Even if he found one, then what? Surely their pendants had been picked up by humans by now. How was he supposed to unbond them, and himself? Not to mention that none of them would go willingly. 

Minsu slowly opened the door to his room, slowly peeking out. He could see Wonjun day on the bottom step; it looked as though he was deep in thought. 

Wonjun growled, ruffling his hair again. He looked conflicted, and more or less annoyed. Minsu bit his lip, wondering how to get around the sin. 

It was common knowledge now that Minsu wouldn’t be able to get rid of Wonjun so easily. He sighed, making his way down the stairs, just as he was about to call out to the sin, the front door was unlocked. 

Jaehwan walked in, immediately spitting Minsu half way down the stairs. “G’morning.” He smiled softly, “feeling better?” 

“A-ah, yeah.” Minsu nodded. Jaehwan probably thought that he was borderline insane yesterday, what with how Jaehwan couldn’t see Wonjun or whatever. 

Another head suddenly popped around the door frame behind Jaehwan. “Ah, good morning.” The man bowed to Minsu, his speech very polite. 

“You don’t have to be so polite,” Jaehwan turned to the man behind him. “You and Minsu are the same age.” 

“Really?” The man looked surprised. 

“Minsu, this is my… friend, Hangseok.” That pause told Minsu everything that he needed to know. 

“Hello, I’m Kim Minsu.” Minsu bowed his head, using polite but informal speech. “Jaehwan-hyung’s tenant.”

Jaehwan just grinned, “I met Hangseok on the train and he said he’d walk me to work. Cutie~” he pinched Hangseok’s cheek making the younger flush and bat him away. 

Wonjun watched the interaction with a raised brow. Minsu walked down the rest of the stairs, avoiding Wonjun’s step by jumping. 

“Hey, don’t jump down the steps,” Jaehwan scolded, “What if you hurt yourself?” 

“I’m okay, don’t worry about it.” Minsu glanced away, his eyes a little shifty. Jaehwan frowned, walking up to the younger and placing his hand on his forehead. 

Minsu jolted back in surprise. “What’s the matter, hyung?” He asked as he touched his own forehead. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling better?” Jaehwan looked suspicious. Hangseok was glancing over his shoulder. 

“I’m perfectly fine, you just worry too much.” Minsu laughed the elder off. 

“So I guess ‘Jo Wonjun’ left then?” Jaehwan asked with a tilt of his head. 

Minsu froze immediately. Even Wonjun looked up at the sound of his name. “Wh-what?” Minsu choked out. 

“Yesterday you asked if I knew him, ya know, when you were trying to prank me by staring at nothing.” Jaehwan crossed his arms over his chest. “That really freaked me out, like there was a ghost or something.” 

“I’m sorry, hyung. It wasn’t anything like that.” Minsu didn’t really know how to respond to that really. 

Jaehwan just shook his head. “Just… don’t freak me out like that, okay.” 

“I didn’t think you were scared of ghosts, hyung?” Hangseok spoke up. “Junhong tried to do that to be the other day too. He was asking if I could see this guy and there was nothing, really freaked me out. He’s never one for ghost pranking really.” 

Wonjun suddenly stood up, eyes staring at Hangseok. Minsu couldn’t help but glance over to him. Why did he suddenly become super alert like that? 

“Are ghost pranks the new thing?” Jaehwan asked casually. Hangseok just shrugged, about to talk when Minsu interrupted. 

“I should probably go now, hyung.” Minsu smiled, “I’ll see you after university. Nice to meet you, Hangseok.” He bowed to them both before walking out of the door. 

Reluctantly, Wonjun followed after the human. Jaehwan and Hangseok were left in surprise, but Minsu didn’t have his thoughts together. 

After a couple minutes of walking, Minsu finally released the breath he was holding. He hiked his bag higher on his shoulder. 

“Why did you suddenly leave?” Wonjun’s voice questioned from behind. Minsu instantly stopped, turning slightly to look at the sin. 

Minsu turned back just as quickly, his head hanging low. “I didn’t know how to respond. I can’t explain to Jaehwan-hyung about you, can I?” 

Wonjun frowned, a deep growl escaping. “What that other guy said could have been useful.” 

“What? About his friend pranking him? You’re crazy.” Minsu scoffed, beginning to walk towards his university again. 

“You don’t really listen do you.” Wonjun was suddenly right in front of the human, forcing him to stop walking. “His reaction to his friend was the same as Jaehwan to you.”

“So?” Minsu shoved the sin out of the way before walking again. “That’s got nothing to do with me. I don’t know Hangseok and his friend, do I?” 

Wonjun actually wanted to smack something. He went for kicking a wheelie-bin that was next to a wall. Minsu flinched at the sound, making him turn around instantly. 

“What are you doing!?” He gritted through his teeth. They were walking through a residential area; anyone could just come out. 

Wonjun’s eyes were dark as he glared at the human. His fists were clenched as he looked down to the fallen bin. “You’re an idiot and an eyesore.” 

“What?” Minsu turned completely to the sin, like he was about to square up. “Excuse me, but who are you to say anything!?”

“That could have been a step closer to me being rid of you.” Wonjun scorned. “I don’t believe in coincidences.” 

He shoved past Minsu, storming off ahead. The human frowned, slowly following after the sin. He could basically see the anger flowing off of Wonjun. 

After another ten minutes of walking and thinking about Hangseok’s words, Minsu could see where Wonjun was coming from. He did think that it was too much of a coincidence to be true though. 

The sound of Minsu’s phone buzzing in his pocket pulled him straight out of his thoughts. He looked at the ID, already knowing who it was. 

“Kitaek, I told you to stop calling so much.” Minsu answered anyway, knowing that he couldn’t escape his brother. 

“You answered me! I’m happy! How are you, hyung?” Kitaek even sounded happy. 

“Just about to walk into university and head to my first lecture.” Minsu smiled into his phone as he talked to his brother. 

Wonjun watched with calculating eyes. Minsu’s expression looked so soft and peaceful as he spoke. It was almost as if he was a different persona from the brat that continuously snapped at Wonjun. 

Minsu hung up after he’d reached his lecture hall. He walked up the stairs towards one of the back rows. He liked to sit at the back, mostly because it was quiet away from the rowdy students. Wonjun sat a couple seats away from Minsu, his feet on the desk and his arms folded.

30 minutes into the lecture and Wonjun was bored. He lolled his head back, staring up at the ceiling. He felt as though he’d really missed out on something when that guy had spoken. 

Minsu caught himself glancing at Wonjun. The sin now had his eyes closed as he sunk further into his thoughts. Minsu couldn’t help but notice how attractive Wonjun actually was. If only his personality didn’t suck. 

Minsu’s phone buzzed on the table suddenly, catching both their attention. There was a message from Kitaek telling him to remember to have lunch. 

Minsu smiled a little, sliding his phone open and sending back a simple ‘Okay’. Wonjun sat up slightly, looking over the phone and message. 

“Who is Kitaek?” He asked loudly. 

Minsu’s face instantly dropped before quickly locking his phone screen. “You don’t need to know.” He whispered back, since he was still in a lecture. 

Wonjun rolled his eyes. “He seems like someone very important, and he seems to care. Who is he?” 

Minsu sighed, “my little brother, alright?” He sent a glare to the sin before turning his attention back to the lecture. 

“So you have a brother.” Wonjun was trying to map out the human he was bound to. He might as well talk to the human, that way he could end up more useful. 

“I have three.” Minsu stated, though he was concentrating on his notes. 

“Three brothers?” Wonjun was a little surprised at that. 

“All younger. Kitaek is my youngest brother.” Minsu kept talking. Wonjun wondered if he was completely aware of what he was saying. 

“Why don’t the other two call as much as Kitaek then?” Wonjun continued to question. 

“They used to, since they worry about me. But Kitaek especially likes to worry.” Minsu smiled a little to himself, “he’s like umma that way.” 

“So you have parents and three brothers. Quite a big family.” 

“Why are you even asking about it?” Minsu hissed a little towards the sin, making him chuckle. 

“Just curious.” Wonjun replied smoothly, his own gaze focused on the lecturer. He’d never imagined lectures to be this boring in real life. 

“What about you then?” Minsu flipped, his attention back on his notes. 

“I have no siblings. My closest family member was my cousin.” Wonjun explained; he wasn’t shy about talking about himself. 

“Was? So your cousin isn’t close to you now?” Minsu scoffed a little. He couldn’t help but feel like the karma of it was deserved. 

Wonjun hummed, his arms crossed. “Not since I made him a sin.” 

Minsu’s hand stopped writing mid sentence. He looked towards Wonjun with disbelief, “you made your cousin a sin?” 

Wonjun nodded. “He fit the sin too perfectly. And anyway, that was centuries ago. He should get over it.” 

“Centuries?” Minsu has placed his pen down, attention now completely on Wonjun. “How exactly old are you?” 

“Well, by earth years I have no idea, since I’ve stayed the same age since I died.” Wonjun closed his eyes again, before slowly opening them. “I guess you could say I’m still 30 really.” 

“You were only 30 when you died?” Minsu felt a twinge in his chest at that. He couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the sin. Thirty was young. 

Wonjun frowned a little. “Dying in battle is honourable.” He turned to the human. “At least that's how I remember it.” 

Minsu could see the hint of regret in Wonjun’s eyes. “I was the greatest warrior of my time, my skill is still unmatched.” 

Minsu rolled his eyes so hard it hurt his head. How stuck up could this sin be, really? Wonjun turned back towards Minsu, seeing him immediately pull his eyes away. He awkwardly picked up his pen, trying to refollow the lecture. 

Wonjun sat up, giving the human a confused look. “I’ve come up with an idea that could possibly unbound us.”

“What? How?” Minsu didn’t actually see how they’d get through this. 

“First I want to make sure that whoever Hangseok’s friend is definitely has a sin bound to him.” Wonjun smirked. “And if he does, we will test out breaking the pendant on them. If they die, we know breaking isn’t going to work.” 

“What!?” Minsu shouted, catching a lot of unwanted attention, even from the lecturer. He stood with his hands on his hips, giving Minsu a threatening look. 

Minsu bowed his head softly before muttering an apology. He looked down at the table and waited for the lecturer to start talking again. 

Wonjun chuckled mockingly from beside him, obviously taking the piss. Minsu gritted his teeth but kept his crude comments at bay. 

“I’m not risking anyone’s life for you.” Minsu mumbled, scribbling down some more notes. 

Wonjun sighed deeply. “So you’d rather test it out yourself? I have a higher chance of survival than you do if we just cut the cord.” He was practically dead already, while Minsu was a lowly human. 

Minsu felt his stomach flip. He didn’t want to risk the possibility of death, but putting someone else’s life on the line was just as bad. Wonjun didn’t seem to think so, and that in itself was terrifying. 

“What if you killed off your sin instead? Then what?” Minsu whispered, but there was a hint of slander. “I thought your precious Satan wanted all the sins back?”

Wonjun raised an eyebrow, before a dark chuckle left him. “If worst comes to worst, I’ll just find a replacement.” He sounded so sure, almost too sure. Minsu had to stop tensing at how calm Wonjun was at the thought of just killing off and replacing someone. 

As the lecture continued, Minsu was finding it harder to follow. He couldn’t help but keep an eye on Wonjun. He was far too wary about the Sin, but then again who wouldn’t be? The guy didn’t seem to have any sympathy; maybe he was a psychopath!?

“And that’s it for today,” the lecturer’s voice pulled Minsu back into reality, “make sure that you review what we talked about today, because next week we’re moving on to the new topic.” 

Minsu sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. He’d missed parts of the lecture, but through determined research he could probably catch up easily. It was at moments like this he wished he had more friends in his department, but at the same time, Minsu preferred to study alone. 

Wonjun raised an eyebrow again, seeing the human pack away and not even making eye contact with any of the other students. “You have no friends?” Wonjun found himself asking. 

Minsu rolled his eyes, frowning towards the Sin. “Somehow I feel like you don’t have any either.” He slung his bag onto his back before starting to walk towards the back entrance. 

“I’ve had plenty of admirers in my life though.” Wonjun followed after the human. “Friends and lovers hold you back from your overall goal, I won’t let anything like that blind my vision.”

Minsu just ignored the Sin, walking through the corridor towards the library since there was a book he needed. Wonjun didn’t even think to stay out of the way of others, so there were plenty of students that walked into his broad shoulders. 

Wonjun actually bashed into the humans, they could feel the sharp pain of being thumped. Everyone turned around as soon as they got thumped by Wonjun. They were all glaring at Minsu since to their eyes he was the only one there. 

“That guy is always acting so high strung.” 

“Who does he think he is, hitting me like that?” 

“He’s always looking for a fight.” 

“One day he’s gonna get it.” 

Wonjun frowned, listening in to all the humans. Do all humans talk shit about each other; well they did when he was alive, so why wouldn’t they now?

“You know that everyone is mad at you for bumping them.” Wonjun stepped up beside Minsu as they walked down a deserted corridor. 

“It’s best to ignore what others say, anyway it’s your fault.” Minsu sighed, glancing out the long wall length window that ran the course of the corridor. There was a nice view of the university pool from there. 

Wonjun looked out the window too, seeing the view of the pool and further in the distance were the sports fields. He turned back to Minsu, seeing him check his phone once again. 

There was something weird about Minsu; Wonjun had thought it ever since they met. He was very standoffish and introverted. No wonder he didn’t have any friends. 

Wonjun shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He didn’t have time to even think about Minsu. He had a mission to do, and there was no telling whether or not Lucifer would punish them or drag them back 

Minsu walked into the library, pocketing his phone as he did. Wonjun followed, eyes looking around at the vast amount of computers and lack of books. “I thought you said you were going to the library.”

“The books are on the second floor.” Minsu whispered, already walking towards the double doors leading to the stairs. Wonjun glanced upwards seeing that there was another two floors above all the computers. 

Minsu skipped every other step, making his way towards the psychology section of the library. Wonjun didn’t bother following the human when he reached the floor, instead he went off on his own. There were desks on this floor, where some students were reading and studying. 

Wonjun walked over towards the window, just watching the cars pass by on the road. From this floor there was a good view of the city, the buildings towering. The sin couldn’t help but sigh, his arms crossed over his chest. 

“Seoul is a lot bigger than I remember.” Wonjun’s eyes narrowed, glaring out at the city. He had a gut feeling that the other six Sins were in Seoul somewhere, it was just a matter of finding them. 

Minsu had sat down on one of the empty desks, reading through the book he’d pulled from the shelf. From where he sat he could see Wonjun staring out of the window. He looked angry and irritated, almost like he was going to smash the window. 

Minsu knew that from now on there was no way he could carry on with his silent university life. If the only way to get rid of Wonjun was to find the other Sins, he’d probably have to assist him. “Of course…”


	12. XII

Two months had passed. There wasn’t really anything significant about the world today, just a lot more technology and shiftiness. 

Sungjoo was sitting on the edge of the pool, his head lolling forwards. Wenhan had been at the pool three hours already. 

The sin sighed, frowning as he watched Wenhan swim. The human had managed to tape Sungjoo’s necklace to his chest with muscle tape, making sure that it didn’t get in the way while he swam. 

“Can we go yet?” Sungjoo had learnt Wenhan’s routine in only two days. He’d wake up at 5.30 even morning and go out for a jog, then he’d come home and shower. And then he’d go to the pool until his classes started. 

If there was one thing that Sungjoo had learnt about Wenhan, it was that he was very determined and motivated when it came to swimming. Even though his studies were well attended, he did well. 

“Class doesn’t start till 11am.” Wenhan sighed, standing in the middle of the pool. 

The others had already left the pool an hour ago. Sungjoo groaned loudly, throwing his head back and leaning on his palms. 

“You swim so much you might as well be a fucking fish!” The Sin looked back to Wenhan, trying to get his attention. 

Wenhan had started swimming again, long stroke. He was actually really beautiful when he swam, almost perfect. The way his body moved through the water was like a work of art, almost too hard to describe.

Sungjoo smiled a little. It was admirable how motivated and determined he was. The only problem was, Sungjoo had to go everywhere with him because of their bond. And he hated it. 

“Hey, tomorrow is your day off, can we stay at home?” Sungjoo asked, though the human didn’t stop swimming. “Wen-”

“Wenhan, you’re here again.” Han Geng appeared, standing by the edge of the pool at the starting block. 

“Ah, Geng-ge.” Wenhan grinned, swimming over towards the coach. 

Sungjoo raised an eyebrow, frowning at the Chinese man. Han Geng was wearing his joggers, wife beater and university jersey. He was always hanging around the pool, it made Sungjoo feel weird. 

“You’re here everyday,” Han Geng smiled, crouching down by the younger human. “Don’t overexert yourself, you don’t want to risk getting injured before the tournaments. Take a day to rest, okay?” 

“But I need to keep up my practice to-“

“Li Wenhan, trust me.” Han Geng patted Wenhan’s wet hair, ruffling it. “Even Yixuan takes days off, and he’s your sunbae.” 

Sungjoo scoffed, “swapping from Chinese to Korean. Why not just say qiánbèi instead of sunbae?” 

Wenhan twitched a little, hearing the Sin loud and clear. It had become clear that Sungjoo didn’t like Han Geng all that well. 

“I’m not overexerting myself, don’t worry.” Wenhan grabbed onto the side of the pool, ready to pull himself out. Han Geng was quick to offer his hand, which Wenhan took gratefully. 

Sungjoo frowned, his glare narrowing as he watched their interaction. There was something really weird about the way Han Geng acted around Wenhan, but the younger didn’t make the interactions any less strange. 

“Thank you.” Wenhan smiled as he was now standing in front of Han Geng on the side of the pool. Sungjoo quickly got to his own feet, making his way towards the two chinese men. 

“Now go dry off,” Han Geng patted the younger’s shoulder, “you should spend some of your free time studying too. That degree isn’t just going to happen with practical alone, right?” 

Wenhan sighed, nodding his head in agreement. Han Geng placed a towel around Wenhan’s shoulders, causing the younger’s cheeks to turn a soft pink colour. 

Sungjoo stopped in his tracks, only stood a few feet away from the two men. He’d never seen that look on Wenhan’s face up close like that before. He’d always noticed the weird shift in his stature when he was with Han Geng, but he’d never seen the embarrassment up close. 

Wenhan had agreed to do what Han Geng had suggested and took a break from the pool. After a quick shower, he was back in his clothes and making his way to the library. 

Sungjoo was trailing behind, as usual, lost in his own thoughts. Wenhan entered the library, making his way to the second floor. He knew where all the sports books were. 

Wenhan found a table towards the back of the library, making sure to grab some relevant books on the way. Sungjoo groaned loudly, “how far are you going?” Everyday was the same struggle with the sin; it was like taking care of a child. 

“Not that far, and besides, there are bean bag chairs back here. You can sleep on one and not disturb me.” Wenhan dropped his book onto the desk, pulling up a chair as he spoke to the Sin. 

In the few months that had passed Wenhan had learnt a great deal about the Sin. Though he never really talked about himself, Wenahn had worked out most of his personality.

True to his sin, Sungjoo was extremely lazy. He didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. He’d moan every single morning about how Wenhan got up early and how not enough rest was bad for you. 

After a couple of weeks, Wenhan just learnt to ignore the Sin’s words. No matter what, Sungjoo had to come with him. There was one time that Wenahn decided to leave without him, and that ended in him passing out near the bottom of his accommodation stairs. Fair to say, he started waking Sungjoo up after that. You’d think he’d have learned, after the first incident in the canteen.

Wenhan had forgotten about the soul taking thing, and he’d spent the rest of the day in bed, ill. It was only the second time they’d been too far apart, but the toll was much greater. Wenhan had definitely made sure that they were together now. God knows what the third time would toll. 

Sungjoo huffed as he flopped down onto one of the bean bags. His eyes instantly closed, trying to get comfortable. Wenhan couldn’t help but watch the Sin as he shuffled around. 

Even though Sungjoo’s personality sucked, Wenhan could deny that the Sin was handsome. With his clean cut jaw, large eyes, broad shoulders, tall figure, he was like an ideal man. If he was human he would definitely be popular with all the ladies. 

“Wenhan-oppa?” A soft voice called out to him. Wenhan turned back around in his seat, only to see Park Junghyun standing in front of him. What was the princess of sports doing here? 

“Ah, Junghyun…? Right?” Wenhan smiled at her, probably a lot more nervous than he meant. 

“You can call me Xiyeon, oppa.” She was a kind and sweet girl, and Wenhan knew that she liked him. There were a few girls that liked him, but he was too busy in his swimming to ever really notice. 

Sungjoo opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow at the girl. Wenhan was just participating in meaningless chatter with her; he was too nice for his own good. 

“I was wondering, if you wanted to get lunch together today?” Xiyeon asked, his fingers twisting together in anticipation. 

“Ah,” Wenhan was a little lost for words, it wasn’t that he disliked Xiyeon, but he’d never really talked to her all that much. 

“I thought you liked men?” Sungjoo’s voice suddenly sounded from behind. 

“What?” Wenhan turned around, momentarily forgetting that he was the only one that could see the Sin.

“Um, oppa?” Xiyeon was a little confused as to why the elder turned around like that. 

“Ah, sorry.” Wenhan quickly put his attention back on the girl in front of him. “I usually train through lunch so maybe another time?” He didn’t really know how to reject her, but this was the best excuse he could come up with. 

“Oh, that’s okay.” Xiyeon smiled brightly, “maybe we can get dinner another day.” 

“Yeah…” Wenhan nodded awkwardly. Sungjoo had to stop himself from laughing, this was almost painful to watch. What on earth was Wenhan thinking? 

“I’ll see you around, oppa. Good luck in your studies.” And with that Xiyeon waved cutely before skittering off. 

When she was out of earshot Wenhan turned back around to Sungjoo with a dark glare. “Why would you say something like that?!” 

“Like what?” Sungjoo raised an eyebrow, trying to act innocent. 

“Saying that I like men? Where did you get that assumption from?” Wenhan wanted to actually smack the sin. He could have thought of a better way to let Xiyeon down if he wasn’t distracted like that.

“Don’t you though?” Sungjoo scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.

“No! Why would you even assume-“

“But you like Han Geng, right?” Sungjoo cut the human off, his eyes fixated on his expression. 

Wenhan felt his cheeks heat a little, but his expression looked confused more than shocked. “Why would you think I like Han Geng?” 

“Oh come off it!” Sungjoo snapped, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head. “You blush and smile awkwardly around him. You only care about his opinion and only look for his approval, of course you like him!” 

Wenhan just stared blankly, “what, I don’t-“

“So you should just tell him.” Sungjoo sighed deeply. “It’s tiring just watching you. Usually I don’t give people advice, but this might benefit me by not having to watch you skip around him.” 

Wenhan was actually amazed. This was the most Sungjoo had spoken at once. He was usually too lazy to even say anything; he wouldn’t do anything without it benefitting him. 

“I… I don’t like Han Geng-ge like that.” Wenhan answered, “I admire him as the coach, that why I care about his comments and his approval.” He wasn’t even sure if he trusted those words; Sungjoo’s claim had thrown him into disarray. 

Sungjoo just sighed again. “Look, I’m the Sin Of Sloth, I’m not an expert when it comes to love and stuff… I just know that the way you look at him is… different.” 

Wenhan furrowed his brows. “Different? Different how?” 

“I don’t know.” Sungjoo shrugged, settling back down into the bean bag chair. His arms were crossed and his head was turned away. 

Wenhan turned back to his work, only to just stare blankly at his notebook. He thought about the accusation for a while, just weighing out the possibilities. 

Wenhan had never truly liked someone before, so he wasn’t entirely sure what it was supposed to feel like. Sure he was happy when talking to Han Geng, but he was with his friends too. It wasn't like he seeked Han Geng out for approval. 

An hour passed and Wenhan couldn’t help but feel awkwardness between him and the sin. Sungjoo had maintained his pose, closed armed and glaring to the side. He looked like he was sulking. 

Wenhan didn’t really want this atmosphere to continue. He needed to find a new topic. “So, how long do you think you Sins will stay on earth?” 

It was the question that needed answering the most. Sungjoo turned towards the human only to see his back. Wenhan was still facing the desk, scribbling something in his notebook. 

Sungjoo scoffed, “can't wait to get rid of me?” He was actually annoyed by the human’s question. Sure they had a lot of differences, but they had a few laughs here and there. Sometimes… 

“That’s not it.” Wenhan sighed. He had to hold back his annoyance, since that would just agitate the sin further. “I mean. Don’t you miss the other sins?” 

Wenhan had never really asked Sungjoo about the others. The sin laughed a little before exploding into purple smoke. He appeared opposite Wenhan, the same smoke surrounding them as he sat. 

“So now you’re interested in me?” Sungjoo questioned seriously. 

“What? I’ve just noticed I’ve never asked you about the other sins before.” Wenhan defended his question. 

“This situation that we’re in is still very strange and yet you’ve been trying to ignore it and carry on.” Sungjoo states seriously. “You don’t really have any questions, you just carry on like everything’s okay. That’s why we’ve already separated twice and made each other weak.” 

Wenhan found it weird how Sungjoo was very accusing today. He seemed more distressed than usual too. It was a little unnerving. 

“You never seemed to want to say anything. Or acted like you were going to say something, so I just dropped it.” Wenhan had tried to ask subtly a few times but Sungjoo was too tired or just couldn’t be bothered to say anything. 

Sungjoo frowned, actually annoyed at his own actions. Why did he suddenly want Wenhan to ask him questions, why did he want to learn about the human too? What was he thinking?

Wenhan wanted for the sin to speak, but Sungjoo looked like he was having an internal conversation. The human sighed, leaning on his hand while tapping the notebook with a pen in the other. 

“So you don’t miss the others?” Wenhan tried again.

“Not particularly.” Sungjoo answered this time, catching the human a little off guard. 

“B-But you guys have lived together for so long, right?” Wenhan carried on. If Sungjoo was willing to answer questions now was the time to ask. 

“That doesn’t mean we get along.” Sungjoo ruffled the back of his hair. “Anyway, I’d spend every day in my room sleeping and lazing about.” 

Wenhan couldn’t help but capture the word ‘room’. So back in Hell Sungjoo had a room. A room to call his own. His own personal space. 

“I guess I miss Matthew’s jokes.” Sungjoo thought about the other sins from time to time. He wondered if they’d latched onto humans too, or if they were lost. What if their humans died, then what? 

“Matthew?” Wenhan pulped Sungjoo back to the conversation. 

“Sin Of Greed.” Sungjoo leaned back in his chair. “His room was opposite mine, so we’d talk a lot.” 

Wenhan hadn’t really asked about how Sungjoo had lived, but sometimes could take a wind guess. From the way the sin acted, it was like he’d never been out. 

“What are the other sins like?” Wenhan couldn’t help but be curious. 

“Well, they’re all older than me, so they talk to me like I’m trash.” Sungjoo crossed his arms over his broad chest. 

“You guys have ages then?” Wenhan was still tapping his pen on his notebook. 

“Well, yeah. The ages we died at.” He shrugged again. “It’s not really important anyway. They’re out there somewhere too, and I can’t say I’m in a rush to find them.” 

Wenhan could see the relief in Sungjoo’s eyes. He couldn’t even comprehend what the sin was feeling. After all, god knows how long he’d been trapped in hell. 

The rest of the day returned to normal. Sungjoo didn’t really say anything and Wenhan carried on with his lectures. 

The day obviously ended with the pool. Wenhan wouldn’t go home without a few laps. Sungjoo weirdly didn’t protest.

Wenhan couldn’t help but think that it was weird. Sungjoo would always protest, always. 

“Sungjoo, what’s the matter?” Wenhan grabbed the Sin’s shoulder. Sungjoo stopped walking, turning around to face the human. 

“I’m tired.” Sungjoo states easily. He shrugged Wenhan off before walking straight into the pool. 

“Sungjoo!” Wenhan walked up to the side of the pool. “What are you-“

“Wenhan?” Han Geng suddenly caught the younger’s attention. Wenhan spun around fast, looking at the coach with wide eyes. 

“Geng-ge…” 

“You’re here again.” Han Geng smiled. “So dedicated, I wish Yibo was just as dedicated.” 

“Ah, well you know Yibo.” Wenhan chuckled. 

“Don’t stay here too long though.” Han Geng gave Wenhan an encouraging slap on the arm. “And the pool is gonna be cleaned tomorrow, so it’ll be temporarily closed.” 

Wenhan nodded, “tomorrow’s my day off so I was gonna take it easy at home. Ya know, buy food, do some laundry?” 

“That’s a good idea.” Han Geng pointed at the younger like he knew what he was on about. 

Wenhan just nodded. He waited for the elder to leave before stepping onto the podium. He did a perfect dive into the pool, starting to swim with ease. 

Sungjoo was just lying at the bottom of the pool. He watched as Wenhan swam past him, concentration absolute. 

Sungjoo was glad he didn’t have to breathe, so seeing swimming from this angle was a privilege. Wenhan was coming back on his lap when he finally spotted the sin. 

Wenhan stopped mid swim, placing his feet on either side of Sungjoo. He couldn’t really see the sin since he was above the water, so he just stayed as he took his goggles off. 

Sungjoo could feel his chest suddenly tighten. Wenhan stood over him, in nothing but his tight mid-thigh length swimming trunks. 

It was a weird feeling, but Sungjoo was sure his heart was racing. He quickly pushed out from between Wenhan’s legs and resurfaced in front of him. 

Wenhan smiled, seeing the sin face him. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting… stranger than usual?” 

Sungjoo sighed, ruffling his dry hair - it was convenient to be a sin in some aspect. Wenhan tilted his head, waiting for the other’s response. 

“It’s nothing. I’m just really tired…” Sungjoo suddenly poofed into purple smoke. He was sitting on the podium, a small smile on his face. 

Wenhan swam over towards him, before stopping in front of him. “Shall we go then?” He asked seriously. 

“But you haven’t finished your laps. I can wait?” Sungjoo gave the human a reassuring nod. 

Wenhan gave him a confused look, but continued his laps. Sungjoo shook his head quickly before slapping his cheeks. What was wrong with him today? All of a sudden he became too aware of Wenhan. 

Sungjoo frowned to himself. It had been two months and he hadn’t even bothered to find a way to separate their souls. Wenhan had given up trying to take off Sungjoo’s pendant. Honestly, their lives together hadn’t been that bad. 

Sungjoo slapped his cheeks again, waking himself up from those thoughts. He couldn’t get too comfortable, after all, god knows how long Lucifer would let this play on for. 

Wenhan did a couple more laps before pulling himself out of the pool. He walked over towards the showers. Sungjoo was too deep in thought to even realise. 

When Wenhan came back, washed, dressed and dried, Sungjoo was still sitting in the same position. Wenhan sighed, slinging his bag further on his shoulder. 

“Sungjoo?” He tapped the sin's head. Sungjoo immediately looked up, seeing the swimmer smiling down at him. “Come on, let’s go home. We’ll buy some food on the way.” 

Sungjoo just nodded, quickly getting to his feet. Wenhan already started walking away, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time. Sungjoo just watched the back of Wenhan’s head.

The walk back to the accommodation was fast, even with Wenhan stopping off to get fried chicken. Sungjoo just continued walking behind him; he couldn’t stop looking. 

There were a lot of thoughts coming to his head. Sungjoo has realised that he didn’t mind living with Wenhan. He was comfy on the sofa, and it was nice to talk to someone else, someone who didn’t hate life. 

Wenhan opened the door, walking into the small apartment. It was decent enough for a single student, but with Sungjoo there too it was a little more cramped. Wenhan didn’t mind, living with someone was quick fun. 

Sungjoo flopped down onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Wenhan raised an eyebrow, perching on the arm of the chair. “Are you okay, Sungjoo? You seem to be a bit off today…”

“I’m just tired.” Sungjoo closed his eyes. 

“You always say that.” Wenhan sighed. Sungjoo could feel the human stand up. The sin opened his eyes, only to see Wenhan staring down at him. Sungjoo’s cheeks suddenly felt hot, seeing as though the human was only a couple inches away from his face.

“W-what are you doing…?” Sungjoo asked, staring back up at Wenhan. 

“I can tell something is wrong.” Wenhan answered, eyes narrowing as he scanned the Sin’s face. “Are you sick? Wait, can you even get sick?” 

“I… I’m tired…” Sungjoo tried again, but he couldn’t deny that his heart was beating fast. 

Wenhan just rolled his eyes, walking towards his small table where he’d left the chicken. Sungjoo released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He glanced towards the human, seeing him open his food. 

“Come on,” Wenhan waved the sin over. “Have some food.” 

“You know that I don’t have-”

“It’s depressing to eat alone.” Wenhan sent a smile to the sin. “I’d rather eat together.” 

Sungjoo sat up, feeling his chest clench. He walked over towards the table, sitting on the only other chair at the tiny table. “I seriously don’t need to eat, you do. You should-”

“Just have some.” Wenhan was quick to shove a small piece into Sungjoo’s mouth. The sin’s eyes widened but Wenhan just smiled at him again. His smile was so pure and precious. 

Sungjoo smiled back, feeling as though it was contagious. They just ate in comfortable silence, though Sungjoo made sure not to eat more than the human. After all, Wenhan would need it. 

“Well tomorrow we can stay at home and laze about.” Wenhan stated, catching Sungjoo off guard. “We gotta do what you like sometimes too I suppose, since we’re stuck with each other.”

Sungjoo actually felt his heart skip at those words. He’d never actually thought that Wenhan would slot him into his life so effortlessly. It was almost admirable.

“Wenhan,” Sungjoo stated, “do you not mind living with a sin?” He couldn’t help but ask, it was weighing down on him. 

“Well, we can’t really help it.” Wenhan answered, “and it’s not like you’re a bad guy. We get along, though we’re basically opposites.” He carried on eating the fried chicken. 

“Opposites…” Sungjoo mumbled to himself, knowing there was truth in those words. He glanced back up to the human. Wenhan was actually really handsome, and pretty - for a guy anyway. His eyes were round and adorable, and his body was perfect. 

Sungjoo wanted to know more about the human. “If you don’t like Han Geng, as you say, why not go out with that girl then?” He’d learnt in the two months they’d spent together that Wenhan was definitely single. He was only really close to the other three swimmers. 

“I don’t have time to date really.” Wenhan shrugged, “I’d rather focus on my studies and swimming for now. I’d feel bad for rejecting a girlfriend when I’m too caught up in my swimming.” 

Sungjoo nodded in understanding, that made sense. “What if she was into swimming as well?” 

“I guess that doesn’t really make a difference. She’d get bored of me swimming and not spending time with her in general. Swimming is more of an individual sport, except the relay, and girls and boys would be in separate leagues. So even if she was a swimmer too, I wouldn’t see her.” Wenhan explained like this was what he had told himself hundreds of times before. 

“That seems rehearsed.” Sungjoo said, his eyes not leaving the human’s.

Wenhan’s cheeks flushed, looking down at the table. “Well it’s what I tell myself every time someone shows interest.” 

“I don’t get bored of watching you swim.” Sungjoo suddenly spoke his thoughts. Wenhan snapped his head up, eyes wide as he stared at the sin.

“What…?” Wenhan was a little taken back. 

“Uh, I mean…” Sungjoo quickly ruffled the back of his hair. “I’ve been with you two months already and I’m not bored of watching you swim, you’re beauti- I mean… I’m sure a girl would love watching you like I d- crap! I mean… uh…” His face was red with embarrassment, his hand covering his eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”

Wenhan was lost for words, his heart palpitating. His cheeks were probably as red as Sungjoo’s, both of them acting like kids. Wenhan took a breath, knowing that he had to say something. “Thank you.” 

Sungjoo glanced up slowly, seeing the small smile on the swimmer’s face. The sin just nodded, not knowing what else to say. He’d spend the next day sleeping, making sure that he’d never say something so embarrassing again.


	13. XIII

A couple of months of living with Seungho had actually been a highlight to Joon. Hyeongkon had been working a lot of overtime lately, but Joon hadn’t felt lonely. 

He’d spent a day off with Sanghyun, and Seungho had observed his friend like he was an alien. Joon had to stop himself from laughing at him. 

Joon was currently in the market, buying lots of vegetables. Seungho was obviously with him, looking at each stall in the market and judging what they were selling. 

“This reminds me a bit of my time.” Seungho stated, looking at a stall selling sunglasses. “There are just so many advanced things here.” 

“Sunglasses?” Joon chuckled to himself. He had his earphones in, just so it looked like he was having a phone conversation. 

“Sunglasses are interesting. We used to just not stare at the sun.” Seungho stood beside Joon, who just finished paying for his veggies. 

“Who stares at the sun?” Joon chuckled, walking away from the stall. Seungho was close after him, still looking around. 

“What’s with all the food anyway?” Seungho questioned. They’d got vegetables, meat, and spices. 

“Hyeongkon is coming for food tonight.” Joon smiled, looking into the bags. 

Seungho’s expression dropped, an eyebrow raising. It didn’t take long for Seungho to realise that he disliked Hyeongkon. The way that he acted with Joon just wasn’t quite right. 

“Is his conference trip over early?” Seungho questioned, his tone not like before. 

Joon quickly glanced to the Sin. Seungho had told him to ignore his jealous tone and outbursts, since it was linked to their bonded souls. Joon wasn’t really 100% convinced with that theory, but he couldn’t say anything about it. After all, he didn’t really know how the sins worked. 

Once they were back at the car did Joon feel the need to ask, “do you not like Hyeongkon?” 

Seungho stopped walking, giving Joon a frown. “No.” He answered simply, before clambering into the passenger seat. 

Joon rolled his eyes a little before putting the shopping in the boot. He climbed into the driver’s seat, just gripping the steering wheel. 

“Can I ask why you don’t like him?” Joon was actually a little upset that Seungho didn’t like Hyeongkon. After all, Joon loved Hyeongkon, so it would be nice if Seungho - who he regarded as a friend now - at least liked him. 

“Why do I have to like him?” Seungho countered, leaning back in the chair and looking at the human emotionlessly. 

“Because he’s my boyfriend and I love him?” Joon started the engine and pulled out of the car park. 

“That’s got nothing to do with me though. That’s your emotion.” Seungho just sat, staring straight out of the window. It was like he was emotionless as he spoke about it.

“Yeah, but… we’re friends right?” Joon stole a glance towards the sin before he looked back to the road.

“Well, I’m not sure.” Seungho answered seriously. He hadn’t moved his head or changed his expression.

“Oh.” Joon’s expression became a little crestfallen. “So you don’t like me?” 

Seungho bit his lip, glancing down for a couple of minutes. Did he like Joon? “It’s not that I dislike you. Sometimes, I feel it would be better if you disliked me.” 

“Why would you think that?” Joon felt a little hope rise up inside of him. He wanted Seungho to give a decent explanation. 

Seungho sighed to himself. “After the bond is severed, we’ll probably never see each other again.” He turned to Joon slightly, his eyes watching the human’s reaction carefully.

Joon gripped harder to the steering wheel. “Never?” 

“Never. I will probably have to return to Hell. While you get to stay here and carry on with life.” Seungho returned to staring out of the front window. His eyes a little downcast at the thought.

“Do you want to go back to Hell?” Joon suddenly asked, sounding surprised.

“Of course not.” Seungho scoffed, his tone turning deadly serious. “But I can’t keep living off you. It’s unfair to you.” 

Joon could feel his cheeks heat up. Seungho’s words had suddenly made his heart skip, and that was a little worrying. “I… I see.” After that the conversation died.

Once they arrived home, Joon went to grab the bags from the back. Seungho had disappeared into green smoke, probably going up to the room. 

Joon sighed, carrying the bags up himself. He unlocked the door, only to see Seungho standing in the hallway. “Hey, you ok-” Joon cut himself off, only to see Hyeongkon sat on the sofa. “Hyeongkon, when did you arrive?” Joon slammed the door shut with his foot. 

Hyeongkon looked up at the elder. “I thought about surprising you. Also, traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Well, I better crack on with prep for dinner.” Joon smiled, walking around Seungho and into the kitchen. “You’re probably hungry, right?”

“Starving.” Hyeongkon answered.

Joon started cutting and washing the vegetables he’d bought. Seungho stayed with Hyeongkon in the living room. The human was leaning on the armrest as he looked over his phone. 

Seungho frowned, seeing as though Hyeongkon looked bored. He always looked like he didn’t want to be here whenever Joon wasn’t looking. Seungho couldn’t help but think of one word; fake. 

The sin moved around the sofa, standing beside Hyeongkon and looking over his phone. He was messaging someone called Nicole. There were a lot of heart emojis and suggestive texts. 

Seungho’s frown turned into an angry scowl. This isn't what he thought it meant, right? Afterall, this Nicole could be a relative, or a really close friend. But obviously Seungho was going to assume the worst.

This was an act of cheating right? Wasn’t it? Seungho shook his head, still feeling angry. Why was he so angry though? This wasn’t his life, surely Joon should be the one that was angry. 

Seungho was getting angry for Joon, and it was unnecessary to feel this way. He sighed, looking back towards the kitchen. Joon was just smiling happily away as he cooked. 

Hyeongkon didn’t even bother to glance Joon’s way, which only annoyed Seungho more. This man seemed to not care about Joon with his body language and attitude. It was really starting to annoy Seungho to no end.

“Ungrateful.” Seungho hissed out, glaring back at Hyeongkon. The human suddenly tensed, his head turning towards Seungho. The sin froze; it felt like Hyeongkon was staring right at him. 

The human’s eyes suddenly started darting around, like he was trying to find something. “What the fuck was that…?” He mumbled out. 

“You okay, Hyeongkon?” Joon stuck his head out of the kitchen looking over the distressed. 

“I… I thought I heard something…” Hyeongkon glanced back in Seungho’s direction. 

Joon stared towards Seungho, who only looked back with the same confusion. “Heard what?” Joon asked as he turned back to his boyfriend. 

“I don’t know… It sounded like a voice, but it was mumbled.” Hyeongkon glanced up to the elder. “Can you usually hear your neighbours or something? I’ve never noticed before but… It sounded like a word.” 

Seungho’s eyes widened a little. He glanced back at Joon, who was now looking over Hyeongkon with concern. Seungho looked down to where his pendant was under Joon’s shirt. 

The sin suddenly walked towards the front door, phasing through the wood and outside. Joon caught a glimpse of Seungho before he disappeared. Without even thinking, Joon made his way over towards the front door. 

“Where are you going?” Hyeongkon questioned. Joon stopped in his tracks, turning back to the younger.

“I was going to see if my neighbours are in.” Joon smiled reassuringly, “it might have been them like you said.” 

Hyeongkon just nodded, letting the elder go. He wouldn’t admit that he was a little worried to be left on his own. What if Joon's apartment was haunted or something?!

Joon exited the apartment, shutting the door behind him. Seungho was at the end of the balcony walkway, near the stares. “Seungho? What happened there?” Joon asked as he approached the sin. 

Seungho looked towards the human. He suddenly stood straight, straightening his jacket as he did. He stalked up to the human, looking up at him with hard eyes. 

“Lemme see my pendant.” Seungho almost demanded. 

Joon complied, slowly pulling the pendant from inside his shirt. Seungho quickly grabbed it, looking over the jewellery with a serious expression. He tsked suddenly, catching Joon off guard.

“What? What’s wrong?” Joon was starting to feel concerned now. After all, this thing was linked to his soul, so that could have side effects. 

Seungho just seemed to stare at the pendant. “I think Hyeongkon heard me.” He glanced back up to Joon, looking into his wide eyes. “I’m not sure how, it shouldn’t happen.” 

Joon took in a shaky breath. “What… what does it mean for us?”

Seungho could obviously see the worry in Joon’s eyes. “The only explanation I can think of… is our souls are becoming more intertwined.”

“And that’s… bad?” Joon was trying his best to stay calm. 

“I don’t know.” Seungho sighed. “It’s complicated enough to be sharing soul energy from you to keep my physical form for your eyes, but if Hyeongkon can hear me, even by a little, it could be bad.” 

“W-what’s gonna happen to me…?” Joon was close to panicking. 

“If my form is becoming more physical on Earth, that could mean... could mean that I am taking more of your spirit energy.” Seungho gave the human sad eyes. “The more I take the weaker you will become. You may die as a result.” 

Joon instinctually stepped back, his hands clutching to the pendant around his neck. Seungho sighed; he knew that his theory would scare Joon, but it had to be said. 

“I’ll find a way to sever the bond.” Seungho turned his back to the human, his coat catching a bit of the breeze. 

“W-where are you going?” Joon couldn’t stop the shake in his voice. 

“Not far. That’ll probably affect both of us.” Seungho suddenly disappeared into green smoke.

Joon hastily glanced around, but he couldn’t see any sign of the Sin. He sighed, before making his way back towards his apartment. 

“What took you so long?” Hyeongkon stated as soon as Joon opened the door. 

“I was checking all the neighbours.” Joon mumbled before returning to the kitchen. He didn’t mean to back away from Seungho like that. 

“Were they in?” Hyeongkon continued to question, not really caring about the elder’s sudden change in attitude. 

“No. You must be hearing things.” Joon continued his food prep. 

“Maybe your house is haunted.” Hyeongkon adjusted to laying on the sofa, his eyes glued back to his phone. “You might wanna get it checked out.” 

Joon just hummed in acknowledgment. He needed to apologise to Seungho. He suddenly felt really guilty for fearing him like that. 

The look on Seungho’s face was definitely one he wouldn’t forget. The sin looked hurt, but not just because of Joon’s rejection, but by his own thoughts. 

Seungho usually wore an indifferent expression. But that look of hurt was definitely something Joon had never seen before. 

“Hey what’s your issue?” Hyeongkon’s voice sounded from the living room. “All Of a sudden you’re sad or something.”

“It’s fine.” Joon sighed. 

“Did you not take your pills this morning or something?” Hyeongkon rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to his phone. 

Joon sighed. This wasn’t even a moodswing, he just felt so guilty. When Seungho came back he’d apologise. They had to work together on this after all. 

Hyeongkon and Joon both sat at the small dining table for the curry Joon had prepared. They both ate in silence, since Joon wasn’t trying to strike up conversation like he usually did. 

Hyeongkon frowned, giving the elder a suspicious look. He was eating really slowly and looked distant. Why was he acting so weird? This wasn’t even like his usual mood swings. 

“What’s wrong?” Hyeongkon asked. 

“I told you it was nothing.” Joon shook his head. 

“You know I know you better than that.” Hyeongkon scoffed. “I can tell that something is up.” 

“You don’t have to worry about it, Konnie.” Joon tried to give the younger a sweet smile. 

“Don’t try and avoid it.” Hyeongkon pointed his spoon accusingly at the elder. “Who are you thinking about? Someone you can’t tell me about?” 

Joon gave the younger a confused look. “I’m worried about Seungho.” 

“The guy who’s necklace you still wear?” Hyeongkon’s expression fell into a scowl. “What is that guy to you?” 

“Are you jealous, Hyeongkon?” Joon would have used a teasing tone, but it turned into an unimpressed one. 

“So what? Who is that guy?” Hyeongkon ate another spoonful of curry. “You don't let me meet him, or even show me a picture? What the hell is that about?” 

“Why are you getting hysterical?” Joon frowned. “Seungho is my friend.” 

“Did you make him up?” Hyeongkon accused. 

“What the hell? I can have friends, ya know.” Joon scoffed, his eyes narrowing at the younger. “Why can’t I worry about my friend?” 

“Why is there no evidence of this ‘friend’ then?” Hyeongkon frowned deeply. 

“Maybe he doesn’t have social media.” Joon shrugged. The thought of Seungho trying to keep up with Joon using instagram a few weeks ago came to his head. 

Joon smiled a little at the thought. Hyeongkon’s eyes narrowed at the small gesture. “What are you smiling at?” Joon’s smile dissipated straight away. “You’re thinking about him aren’t you?” 

“No, you’re being—”

“Don’t even try to lie.” Hyeongkon stood up from the table, his eyes dark. “Maybe you should invite him over instead then.” He stormed towards the door. 

Joon’s eyes widened at the sight of Hyeongkon leaving. “Where are you going?” He quickly followed after the younger. 

“Home.” Hyeongkon flung his coat on and toed on his shoes. “You can invite Seungho for curry, which by the way, isn’t your best!” And with that he slammed the door shut. 

Joon sighed. He felt the sadness well up in his gut, but he couldn’t find it in him to follow the younger. He was still feeling guilty towards Seungho. What the hell was wrong with him? 

Joon walked back over towards the table. He’d eat the rest of curry; he didn’t think it was that bad. 

Seungho sat on top of the apartment building. Thankfully there weren’t many floors, so he wasn’t that far from Joon. 

The sin leaned his chin on his knee, while the other leg hung over the side of the building. He was looking out to Seoul, his eyes narrowing. 

Would the best way to sever the bond be to find the other sins? What if one of the younger sins had already figured to detach? 

“I bet Wonjun has figured it out.” Seungho frowned. He’d rather find anyone else but Wonjun. Even Doojoon would suffice. 

Seungho sighed deeply, raking a hand through his hair. There was no way this would end easily. Maybe if he cut his chain he’d disappear and Joon would be free. But what if it killed Joon? 

Seungho growled, frustration getting the best of him. “I don’t want him to die…” he’d never forgive himself if Joon died. 

Seungho was woken from his thoughts when he noticed Hyeongkon. The sin quickly jumped down to the car park, landing right next to Hyeongkon’s car. 

The human was on his phone, dialing a number. Seungho just stood beside the car, eyes watching the human closely. He really didn’t like this guy. 

Seungho could feel the green flash in his eyes. This guy had someone as sweet and kind as Joon loving and tending to him, yet he was such a dick. 

“Hey, babe.” Hyeongkon spoke into the phone. “I know you said you had an early tomorrow morning, but can I come round? My friend and I just had a fight.” 

“Oh really?” Seungho could hear the female voice on the other end of the call. 

“Please?” Hyeongkon was putting on some disgusting aegyo voice. 

“Okay, but only because it’s you.” Her voice came through the other end. 

“Great, I’ll make my way there now. Love ya~” Hyeongkon hung up the phone before clambering into his car. 

Seungho watched the disgusting human drive away. He really hated that guy. Realisation hit Seungho suddenly. 

“Joon.” He poofed into green smoke. He appeared inside Joon’s apartment, which held an extremely heavy atmosphere. 

Joon sat at the table, sniffling as he ate the curry he’d made. Seungho slowly made his way over, not wanting to spook the human. 

“Joon?” Seungho whispered out. Joon instantly turned to the sin, his eyes wide and glistening with tears. 

Joon stood up from his chair, looking over Seungho like it was a miracle he was there. Joon suddenly wrapped his arms around the Sin, flopping over him as he started to cry. 

Seungho was at a loss, he didn’t know how to deal with this. He awkwardly patted Joon’s back, needing him to calm down a little. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Seungho tried to use the softest voice he could muster. “What did Hyeongkon do? Are you alright?” 

“I’m… I’m really sorry, Seungho.” Joon snuggled against the sin’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to fear what you said… you shouldn’t have to shoulder it all yourself. We’re bonded now… so we gotta work together, right…?” 

Seungho gently pushed Joon away, looking at his face. “You’re crying… for me? Not him?” He was in disbelief. 

Joon chuckled a little, wiping his eyes as did. “I felt guilty for being scared of you. I told Hyeongkon I was worried about you and he flipped at me.” 

Seungho just nodded. He was debating inside whether or not to tell Joon about what he’d heard. Joon looked like a soft soul, but hiding it from him would probably make it worse. 

“I don’t want you to put all your trust and faith in Kim Hyeongkon.” Seungho stayed seriously. 

Joon gave the sin a lost expression. “Why?” He loved Hyeongkon after all. 

Seungho’s eyes narrowed. “He’s not the man you think he is. Believe me.” 

Joon bit his lip. “Is this one of your envy outbursts?” He didn’t know whether he should believe it or not. 

Seungho sighed, “it’s not.” He looked directly into Joon’s eyes. “Hyeongkon isn’t 100% devoted to you. But you should ask him yourself, I don’t want to be responsible for it.” 

“He’s not devoted… to me…?” Joon turned away, looking at the curry. “Like…. there’s someone else?” 

“You’ll have to ask him.” Seungho wasn’t even 100% sure either, but his hunches were never wrong. He knew that Hyeongkon’s jealousy for Joon was fake. 

“Tonight… I don’t wanna think about it.” Joon slowly sat back down at the table. 

Seungho sighed, quickly sitting opposite. “Let me try your curry.” 

Joon’s eyes flashed up to the sin, surprise glittering there. “Really?” 

“I don’t need to eat, but there’s a lot left and leftover curry isn’t as good.” Seungho grabbed a spare spoon - not wanting Hyeongkon’s. He noticed that the human hadn’t eaten a lot so he scooped a large serving onto Hyeongkon’s plate. 

Joon just watched as Seungho ate his curry. “It’s probably not hot anymore, want me to heat it?” Joon quickly asked. 

“It’s fine.” Seungho smiled at the human. “Tastes good. I’ve never had curry before.” 

“Really?” Joon’s mood was slowly brightening. 

“You’re a good cook.” Seungho encouraged. He wanted Joon to be happy, being sad and down didn’t suit him. 

Joon grinned, starting to eat as well. Seungho smiled, feeling a warm feeling inside. Joon Really was a pure soul, he deserved so much better than Hyeongkon. 

Seungho knew that when Joon exposed Hyeongkon he’d be on his own. But, Joon still had his friends and his work. Hyeongkon didn’t need to be in Joon’s life, he just stained it. 

Seungho carried on eating. When the time came that he’d never see Joon again, he just wanted to make sure that he was living a happy life without parasites like Hyeongkon. 

There was a part of Seungho that didn’t like the thought of never seeing Joon anymore. In these past months Seungho had grown accustomed to Joon’s smile, his attitude and even his mood swings. 

Seungho knew that these days couldn’t last. Joon deserved to have his life back, without a demon hanging around. 

The sin got another serving of curry, making Joon smile at him. That smile was so genuine; Seungho wanted Joon to always smile that way. 

It was weird. Was it because their souls were bonded? Seungho had never cared about humans before, but Joon was different. He deserved more in life. 

Seungho had spent his entire life wanting what others had, feeling envious of the lives others had. But, this was the first time he wished it all for someone else. 

The sin continued to eat, as his thoughts took over his head. He glanced up to Joon, seeing him just eat away. He was cute, for a human man. 

Seungho shook those thoughts from his head. Even if he wanted Joon to be happy, he couldn’t get attached. That might be the reason he was stealing more of Joon’s spirit energy. The bond was getting stronger. 

Maybe staying away from Joon was the best option, but Seungho couldn’t bring himself too. He needed to sever the bond soon, or he might devour Joon’s soul entirely. 

He didn’t want to take away Joon’s life. The human deserved to be genuinely happy. He deserved a happy relationship with all the devotion. 

Seungho silently sighed to himself. He needed to uninvolve himself from Joon’s life. The more he helped the more Joon would rely on him, and the stronger they’d be bound. 

“Joon.” Seungho spoke up.

“Yes?” Joon smiled back, wanting to talk to the Sin. 

“I want to find the other sins.” Seungho stated seriously. If he found the others they could all work out how to disconnect from the humans - they must all have been picked up by now. 

Seungho didn’t mind testing on the other sins to see what happened to them or their humans. He just wanted to determine whether or not Joon would be okay if they separated. 

“The other sins? Do you know where they are?” Joon questioned. 

Seungho shook his head, a deep sigh escaping him. “There is no telling. But, I’m sure we’re all in Seoul.” 

“Seoul is pretty big, ya know.” Joon chuckled a little. “But sure, we could try and find them. How about if my next day off we go out around Seoul. You might be able to sense them.” 

Seungho chuckled a little, raising an eyebrow at the human. Joon just smiled back, willing to help the sin. 

“You’re right.” Seungho answered after a few seconds. 

“Great.” Joon grinned, “we’ll go next day off. You figure out where you want to head and we’ll go.” 

“You sure you wanna go around Seoul on your own? Seungho asked seriously. “Other humans won’t care?” 

“Probably not.” Joon shrugged. “I used to go out a lot on my own anyway.” 

Seungho just nodded. It was sweet how Joon didn’t even think to ask about the details, he just agreed to help. 

The faster Seungho found another sin the better. If he could separate them with ease he could do the same with Joon. It was just a matter of finding the guinea pig.


	14. XIV

Kikwang’s eyes slowly opened. He wasn’t shocked to see Doojoon sleeping next to him anymore. It had definitely been a good few weeks since Kikwang had met Doojoon. 

The Sin was still as perverted as usual. He’d stolen a total of five kisses from Kikwang when he’d let his guard down. It was honestly wearing him out having the sin around. 

Kikwang glanced at the alarm clock behind Doojoon. He had four minutes before his 6am alarm went off. He could get up earlier, but Kikwang didn’t want to wake Doojoon. 

The sin had told Kikwang that he didn’t actually need to sleep, but he looked so peaceful. Kikwang looked over Doojoon’s face. He was stupidly handsome, if only his personality wasn’t so pervy. 

When the alarm went off, Doojoon’s eyes flew open. He groaned, “I hate that alarm…”

“Well, me too.” Kikwang shuffled, ready to get out of bed. That was until a pair of strong arms pulled him back into a warm embrace. 

“I hate it ‘cause it means you have to leave my arms.” Doojoon mumbled. Kikwang rolled his eyes; he could hear the pout in Doojoon’s voice. 

“Yeah, yeah. So let go.” He wigged out of Doojoon’s arms and made his way towards the bathroom. 

Kikwang had set up some ground rules for their living arrangement. Doojoon was never allowed in the bathroom, it was now Kikwang’s space. The Sin was supposed to sleep on the sofa but after two weeks Kikwang gave up. Doojoon wasn’t allowed to touch Kikwang - though he couldn’t seem to keep his hands away from the human. 

Kikwang got ready for university in his usual routine; shower, dressed, breakfast, go. He’d finished his makeshift omurice. Doojoon never wanted food, he just liked to watch the human eat. Creepy. 

Kikwang slung his bag on his shoulder after making sure he had all his books. He had a Clinical Anatomy lecture first thing, so he needed to have all of his notes from the previous one. 

Doojoon casually walked after the human as he made his way out of the apartment. Kikwang relocked his door before making his way down the stairs and towards the bus stop. 

The sin sighed deeply. This was actually too repeatedly boring every day. He wanted to stay at home and whack off for a change. They’d been together for just less than two months and Doojoon has never seen Kikwang pleasuring himself. 

Doojoon usually gave himself a good tug whenever Kikwang was in the shower. The human took long showers, and imagining what he looked like in there got it sorted. 

It was frustrating though. Doojoon was never satisfied afterwards. He wanted more from Kikwang, but the human had restricted him. Of course Doojoon could just attack Kikwang, but there was a part of him that didn’t want the human to hate him.

The bus arrived a couple minutes later than usual. Kikwang frowned as he checked his watch before getting on. He swiped his card before going to get a seat. 

The bus was empty this early in the morning but Doojoon still sat right next to Kikwang. The human shifted a little, getting closer to the window. 

“Hey, Kiki.” Doojoon started, his tone nonchalant. “When do you masturbate?” 

Kikwang tensed, nearly choking on his own spit. “What?” He hissed under his breath.

“Well, in these two-ish months I’ve never seen ya tug it.” Doojoon smirked as he turned to the short human. “Want me to do it for you? I got good hands.” 

“Get away.” Kikwang shoved at the sin. Doojoon laughed, before turning away and looking around the bus. 

Kikwang took in a deep breath as he looked out the window. His heart was beating stupidly fast, making him feel annoyed. Every time Doojoon teased him his heart would skip and his cheeks would burn. 

Kikwang frowned to himself, leaning back in his chair. Maybe Doojoon was right, maybe he was pent up. But Kikwang never thought about that stuff, he just wanted to study. 

Once they arrived at the university, Doojoon stood up and made his way out of the bus. Kikwang bowed his head to the driver as he got off. 

“You’re very quiet today.” Doojoon observed. He was walking a little behind Kikwang, his hands behind his head as he strode. 

“I’m just a little tired.” Kikwang answered fast. He had tried to ignore Doojoon the first week, but there was something about him that got Kikwang to answer every time. 

Doojoon hummed. “I know how to wear you out good and hard~” He grinned, licking his lips. 

Kikwang just rolled his eyes, but there it was again. A beat skipping. Maybe he was sick? Yeah, he was a trainee doctor, yeah he was sick. 

The Clinical Anatomy lecture went on for over an hour. Kikwang listened to every word, taking diligent notes. He was sitting in the third row, the other students a lot further back as they halfheartedly listened. 

Doojoon sat next to Kikwang, his feet up on the desk as he leaned back. He was staring at Kikwang as the human listened to the old woman giving the lecture. 

Doojoon changed his position suddenly, sitting normally as he leaned on his palm. Kikwang looked so cute with his serious expression. His glasses were slipping down his nose, Doojoon loved the little nose twitch he always did after pushing them back. 

Kikwang could feel Doojoon’s eyes on him, but he kept his gaze forwards. He needed to focus on the lecture. Doojoon’s eyes felt intense, Kikwang could feel the gaze burning his skin. It was a weird feeling. 

After the lecture ended Doojoon let out a really loud sigh. “Finally! Every time these old people speak it’s all so boring!” 

“If you actually listened you’d learn something.” Kikwang said softly, making sure no one else heard. 

“I’d rather you teach me, Kiki.” Doojoon’s smirk crawled back into his expression. “But in return I’ll teach you something too.” 

Kikwang’s cheeks ignited. He quickly got to his feet, compiling his notes into his bag. Doojoon just chuckled, seeing the human’s shyness. 

No matter what, Kikwang couldn’t seem to get used to him. Doojoon loved it. It was like an innocent virgin with the cute reactions he gave. Doojoon was lucky that Kikwang picked him up. 

Kikwang was checking his messages as he walked down the corridor. “Hey, Kikwang -hyung!” A familiar voice called out. 

“Dongwoon.” Kikwang smiled as the younger ran towards him. He had his white long coat, which must have been a practical. 

“Hyung, wanna go get lunch with me?” Dongwoon grinned. 

“Sure.” Kikwang smiled. They’d both been busy lately, so they didn’t have time to hang out a lot. 

Doojoon just stayed silent as he watched the two humans chatting. They both started walking again, making their way towards the cafeteria. 

Doojoon had learnt a lot about other humans while living with Kikwang. He’d learnt a lot about how the world has changed since he last walked it. There was a lot more acceptance and don’t get him started on technology. 

Kikwang and Dongwoon bought themselves some galbi and grabbed a two person table near one of the windows. Doojoon didn’t mind standing, but it was a bit much when Kikwang ignored him when he was around others. 

Doojoon knew why anyway. It would look weird to other humans if Kikwang looked or talked to him, since others couldn’t see him. 

Dongwoon was telling Kikwang about some of the kids he’d visited today. Kikwang smiled, just happy to hear about his friend’s day. 

Doojoon leaned on the window, just looking out at all the other students in the canteen. There was so much white and blue, What with the outfits that they all wore. 

Doojoon still couldn’t get over what Kikwang studied. There was nothing like surgeons and paediatricians. It was a weirdly advanced time, but nothing really mattered to Doojoon. He was frustrated. Sexually. 

The sin of lust had freedom in the world again and yet he was still reduced to his hand. Kikwang didn’t have a girlfriend or whatever, so what was the big deal. Didn’t a lot of people have sex friends? Especially these days. 

“Kiki…” Doojoon groaned behind him. The human tensed a little but continued talking to Dongwoon and eating his food. 

Doojoon frowned. He moved a little closer to the human, his hands landing heavily on his shoulders. Kikwang flinched, feeling the heavy weight. 

“I wanna have sex, Kiki…” Doojoon whispered. “I’m so pent up it hurts.” 

“Uh,” Kikwang mumbled before looking at Dongwoon.

“You okay?” Dongwoon asked seriously, seeing the elder’s demeanour stiffly change. 

“I just gotta go to the bathroom.” Kikwang waved nonchalantly. “Watch my bag please?” 

“Sure. But don’t be too long, your food will get cold.” Dongwoon gestured to the food with his chopsticks. 

Kikwang nodded before making his way out of the canteen. Doojoon obviously followed, tilting his head curiously at the human. 

Kikwang went to the second floor bathroom, knowing that it would be empty. Doojoon chuckled as the human turned a glare on him when the door shut. 

“What the fuck was that about!?” Kikwang snapped, though still kept his voice low. 

“It upsets me when you ignore me.” Doojoon pouted, but there was a dark glint in his eye. 

“You know why I can’t talk to you in front of others!” Kikwang had explained at least four times to the sin. 

“That’s not what I mean.” Doojoon stalked over to the human, forcing him to step back. 

The sin walked Kikwang into the wall. The human glared up at Doojoon, his fists clenched at his sides. Doojoon pressed one hand to the wall, leaning into the shorter. 

“You need to stop ignoring my sin.” Doojoon smirked, “you need to help me. It won’t take anything from you. It’s good for the body to have good sex.” 

“Shut up! I’m not interested in that, or you that way!” Kikwang raised his voice a little. 

Doojoon’s smirk turned into a scowl, a scoff suddenly leaving him. “Everyone’s got that carnal desire, don’t act innocent!” 

“Wha-!” Kikwang was suddenly cut off. Doojoon cupped the human’s face in his hands. He pulled him forwards, locking their lips together easily. 

Kikwang shoved at the sin’s chest but he didn’t move an inch. Doojoon forced his tongue into the human’s mouth, licking around his tongue and cheeks. 

Kikwang moaned softly. Doojoon was such a good kisser, it was making his legs weak. Doojoon lifted his thigh, pressing into Kikwang’s crotch. 

“Ah.” Kikwang broke the kiss with a small moan. “D-Doojoon stop…” he pushed at the sin’s chest. 

“See,” Doojoon growled into the human’s ear. “You feel desire too. You want to be pleasured and feel good.” 

“Sh-shut up…” Kikwang continued to shove. “Don’t do this here… please…” he whimpered, tears glistening in his eyes. 

Doojoon pulled back, seeing the helpless human. He sighed deeply, stepping back from Kikwang. The human slumped against the wall, quickly wiping his eyes with his jumper sleeve. 

“You don’t have to cry.” Doojoon’s expression dropped. He’d never had any partners cry like that; in pleasure sure, but not in actual sadness. 

“It’s your fault.” Kikwang sniffled before wiping his face again. 

“My fault?” Doojoon was in disbelief. 

“Of course it is!” Kikwang shot a glare to the sin. “You’re trying to force me into something I don’t want to do! That’s a crime!” 

Doojoon just stood frozen, letting those words sink in. Crime? “It’s a crime to want you?” He questioned seriously. 

Kikwang’s heart skipped and his cheeks turned pink. He knew that Doojoon didn’t mean it like that. He only wanted something physical, and since Kikwang was the only one he could interact with, his options were limited. 

“Just pleasure yourself, you lustful dog!” Kikwang shoved past the sin, storming out of the bathroom. 

“Kik!” Doojoon snapped back, but didn’t follow the human. If Kikwang wanted to be stubborn, fine. He could be stubborn too. 

The sin stormed out of the bathroom, but purposefully walked the other way. His fists were clenched as he stomped around, not thinking straight. 

Kikwang made his way back to Dongwoon, hoping that his eyes weren’t that puffy. “Hey, sorry about that.” He called out to the younger. 

“Hey, what took you so long?” Dongwoon questioned. He looked concerned for his friend, making Kikwang feel a little guilty. He couldn’t tell the younger the truth. 

“Just a lot of people.” Kikwang smiled as best he could as he sat down. Dongwoon gave him a strange look but that was about it. 

They continued eating, though Dongwoon was finished way before Kikwang. They talked and Kikwang made sure to push Doojoon far from his mind. 

That was until Kikwang felt a sudden drop in his stomach. He frowned, his hand pressing to his abdomen. He felt weak suddenly, his vision fading. 

“Hey! Kikwang!?” Even Dongwoon’s voice sounded really distant. 

Doojoon continued to storm the opposite way. He didn’t need Kikwang, screw it! He’d find his own way around. 

There was a sudden lurch in his stomach, making Doojoon pause in his movements. His breathing started to quicken as he looked down at his hands. 

Doojoon’s eyes widened; he could see through his hands! He’d never tried to get away from Kikwang, so there was a limit to how far he’d go. 

Maybe this would be the end. Doojoon closed his eyes, feeling his material body disappear. 

When Doojoon could feel his body wake up, he slowly opened his eyes. He was on a bed, a hospital bed. He was staring up at the white ceiling. 

“What…?” Doojoon mumbled out. 

“You’re awake.” Kikwang’s soft voice sounded beside him. Doojoon quickly turned to look at the human. 

“Kiki…?” Doojoon looked at the human with confusion. 

Kikwang was lying in bed next to him. Or rather Kikwang was in bed and Doojoon was on top of the duvet. The human was clutching the pendant around his neck. 

“Why are we…?” Doojoon quickly brought his hand to his face. He couldn’t see through the flesh anymore. 

“I passed out.” Kikwang sighed, glancing towards the clock. “I’ve missed a practical.” He flopped his head back onto the pillow. 

Doojoon glanced towards his pendent, seeing the gem glare at him. “We both were affected.” He stated. 

Kikwang lolled his head back towards the sin. “I’ve been awake for ten minutes… but I’ve been out for more than an hour. What happened?” He was expecting the sin to know something. 

“I think… there’s a limit to how far we can be apart.” Doojoon sighed, pressing his face into the bed. He felt stupid for assuming that nothing would happen. 

“I was getting a little worried about you.” Kikwang muttered out, his own face pressing further into the pillow. His cheeks were pink with embarrassment, and his eyes couldn’t meet the sin’s. 

“About me?” Doojoon’s eyes blinked fast in disbelief. Wasn’t the human angry at him? 

“Well,” Kikwang shuffled, turning his back to the sin. “When I woke up you… your body was only a smoky pink silhouette. I didn’t know what was wrong…” 

Doojoon smiled a little. Really, how cute could Kikwang be? “You were worried for me?” 

“I just… didn’t know what was wrong with you,” Kikwang pulled the covers around him more. He might as well try and sleep a little more. 

Doojoon wrapped his arms around the little lump in the duvet. “Don’t worry about me, Kiki. Your soul helped me~” he still wasn’t sure how it all worked, but that had to be the only solution. 

Kikwang just closed his eyes. He didn’t have enough strength to push Doojoon away at the moment. Hopefully the Sin didn’t have a lot of strength either. 

They stayed in the infirmary for a while. Kikwang fell asleep again, and was only awoken when Dongwoon gently shook his shoulder. 

“Hey, you okay?” Dongwoon was knelt on the floor beside the bed. 

“Hey, man.” Kikwang smiled back at his friend. He was going to sit up, until he felt Doojoon’s strong arms keep him down. 

The Sin was looking over Kikwang, his eyes just staring at Dongwoon. He didn’t seem to have a problem with the other human, or rather Kikwang hadn’t seen Doojoon take interest in anyone else. 

“Are you feeling better? Think you can get out of bed?” Dongwoon questioned, genuinely concerned for his friend. 

“Yeah,” Kikwang stealthily nudged Doojoon with his elbow, wanting the sin to move away. Doojoon tightened his arms around the human, hugging him close. 

“I don’t want to move yet…” He mumbled. Kikwang sighed, making Dongwoon tilt his head in curiosity. 

“Kikwang?” 

“I’m fine.” Kikwang smiled reassuringly. “I’ll get up in a bit. Just gotta gather my strength.” He hoped that Doojoon would get the hint. 

Dongwoon grinned, getting to his feet. “As long as you’re feeling better, hyung.” He straightened out his long white coat. “I was really worried when you passed out, ya know.” 

“I know. I’m sorry.” Kikwang tried to wiggle again. Doojoon sighed in his ear, finally giving in and letting go. 

Kikwang was quick to sit up. “Hey, hyung. Go slow.” Dongwoon was really worried; he was such a good friend. Kikwang stretched his arms above his head, before rubbing at his stiff neck. 

“I’m okay.” He waved off the younger. Dongwoon just nodded, believing his hyung. 

Doojoon was still lying on the bed, his head turned away slightly. He had a pout on his face, sulking. Kikwang ignored the sin, knowing that he wanted attention. 

“Maybe you should go home for the day?” Dongwoon suggested as he placed a hand on Kikwang’s forehead. “You don’t want to catch a fever by pushing yourself too hard.” 

“Yes, doctor.” Kikwang teased, making Dongwoon laugh. Doojoon rolled his eyes; he didn’t want to be there anymore. Going home sounded like the best option. 

Kikwang was gathering his things when there was a soft knock on the door. A girl walked in, wearing her own white coat. Kikwang had seen her before, she was definitely another student. 

“Sohyun, what are you doing here?” Dongwoon was good with names, especially with everyone in his specialty field. 

“I heard that Kikwang oppa had passed out.” Kwon Sohyun was a student that was studying to be a pediatrician, so Kikwang had seen her around the medical faculty. He’d never really talked to her though. 

“Don’t worry about me.” Kikwang smiled at the girl. Doojoon sat up behind the human, raising an eyebrow at the sudden turn of events. 

“Of course I’ll worry, oppa.” Sohyun pouted a little as she swayed in a cute fashion. Doojoon scoffed, before a sarcastic laugh left him. 

Kikwang tried to ignore the sin, but he was a little lost about his sudden attitude. Sure Doojoon got pouty and sulky, but now he sounded almost angry. 

“Don’t worry, Sohyun-ah.” Dongwoon grinned at the girl. “Kikwang is gonna go home and rest. He’ll be right as rain tomorrow!” 

Kikwang nodded. He’d email his tutors when he got home, just to get the footnotes on the lectures he’d miss. Doojoon suddenly stood up from the bed, making Kikwang tense. 

The sin walked around Sohyun, standing behind her. He glared at the girl as he continued to size her up. “Stupid, girl.” He muttered darkly. 

Kikwang furrowed his brows at the sin. Why did he say that? He didn’t know Sohyun.

“Oppa?” Sohyun’s sweet voice called out. Kikwang looked back to her, pulling his gaze away from Doojoon. 

“Yes, sorry?” Kikwang offered the younger a soft smile. 

Sohyun just giggled before she regained her composure. “I asked how you’d be getting home?” 

“O-oh, by bus.” Kikwang stood up as he spoke, slinging his bag onto his shoulder. 

“Are you sure, oppa?” Sohyun looked horrified at the idea. “What if you collapse again?” 

Dongwoon stood silently, glancing from Kikwang to Sohyun. He didn’t really know what to say. Doojoon stood by the tall human, his arms closed as he glared at the girl. 

“Don’t worry,” Kikwang shyly glanced at Doojoon. He felt his chest tighten randomly. All he had to do was stay with the sin and he’d be okay. “I won’t collapse again.” 

“I’m really worried,” Sohyun carried on, not letting it go. “Let me drive you home, oppa. I brought my car.” 

Doojoon’s scowl turned into plain disgust. He scoffed again. “Desperate much.” 

Kikwang couldn’t stop glancing towards Doojoon - thankfully it looked like he was looking at Dongwoon. Doojoon’s eyes rolled before he looked off to the side. 

“N-no. Don’t worry about it.” Kikwang quickly turned back to Sohyun. “I wouldn’t want to burd—” 

“You’re no burden, oppa!” Sohyun quickly cut in. “Really. Please let me drive you, I’ll be worried sick for the rest of the day.” 

Doojoon just laughed again. “Oh my god, this girl is too much.” 

Kikwang actually did look to Dongwoon for help. Dongwoon sighed, seeing the desperate look in his friend’s eyes. “Honestly, hyung… Maybe you should let Sohyun drive you.” 

Sohyun’s everything seemed to light up at Dongwoon’s words. Kikwang’s shoulders slumped; that wasn’t the answer that he wanted. 

“Let me drive you, oppa?” Sohyun asked again, her eyes wide as she pleaded. Kikwang sighed silently, knowing that there was no way out of this. 

“Okay.” 

“Really?” Sohyun’s smile was almost blinding. Doojoon made a fake gipping noise, making Kikwang feel regretful. Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed so easily. 

“Yeah,” Kikwang smiled a little, “but you’ll have to let me make it up to you.” 

“Of course, lets go!” 

Kikwang was sitting in the passenger seat of Sohyun’s red VW Golf. He was gripping his bag as he directed Sohyun towards his apartment. 

He’d never felt more awkward in his entire life. Doojoon was sitting in the back, right in the middle seat. His arms were still crossed over his chest, an angry look on his face. 

Sohyun was just chatting away about her course and how Kikwang should come meet the kids on their ward. Kikwang wasn’t really paying attention, his eyes watching Doojoon through the rear view mirror. 

The sin was keeping eye contact with him. Kikwang had this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want Doojoon to be angry with him; the sin was harder to deal with when he was angry. 

Sohyun pulled the car up outside of Kikwang apartment. There was a sudden awkward atmosphere. Kikwang cleared his throat quickly, “thank you for the lift. I will make it up to you.” 

Sohyun smiled sweetly. “No problem, oppa.” She was very cute, but Kikwang wasn’t really interested in that. 

“I’ll see you around.” Kikwang opened the car door, only for Sohyun to suddenly grab his wrist. 

“Oppa, wait.” Her cheeks were dusted a soft pink and she suddenly couldn’t make eye contact. 

“What’s wrong?” Kikwang turned back to her. 

“Oppa, I love you! Let’s go to your room and have hot sex!” Doojoon suddenly yelled from the back seat. “Stick you hot dick in my pussy and make me cum!” Kikwang grimaced at the vulgarity of the sin’s words. 

“Make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?” Sohyun looked genuinely worried. “If you’re still feeling faint tomorrow don’t force yourself to university.”

Kikwang nodded, “I won’t. Thanks again.” He quickly exited the car. Sohyun waved before driving off back towards the university. Kikwang stood and waved till her car was out of sight. 

Doojoon was already in the apartment when Kikwang opened the door. He was laying on the sofa, a raised brow looking at Kikwang. 

“Well, that was pathetically awkward.” 

“Shut up.” Kikwang retorted as he locked the door and took off his shoes. “You didn’t have to be so vulgar.” 

“What? That’s clearly what she wanted.” Doojoon smirked, “or have you just become so unaware of your sexual desires you don’t even notice?” 

Kikwang rolled his eyes, throwing his bag on the sofa by Doojoon’s feet. “I’m not interested in a relationship.” He walked over towards the fridge, pulling out a can of sprite. 

“What about a sex friend?” Doojoon suggested. He’d tried to talk Kikwang into getting a sex friend before, but the human just ignored him. 

“Sohyun isn’t that type of girl.” Kikwang defended as he sat down on his small armchair. 

“How do you know?” Doojoon sat up a little. “You didn’t seem to know her that well.” 

“I can just tell.” Kikwang liked to think he was a good judge of character. He glanced up at Doojoon; he still couldn’t really figure the sin out though. 

“Why not just be her sex friend though?” Doojoon was confused at Kikwang’s stubbornness. “You can get some and stop ring so uptight, and she’ll be happy getting to fuck you.” 

“I would never use her like that!” Kikwang snapped, glaring at the sin. 

Doojoon hummed. He suddenly appeared right in front of Kikwang, pink smoke around him. He leaned over the human, forcing him further into the chair. 

Kikwang sank into the cushion as he looked up at Doojoon. The sin was only a couple inches away from his face. 

Doojoon smirked, his tongue swiping over his lips. “You can use me. I’ll have sex with you, loosen a few knots for you.” 

Kikwang’s cheeks turned red. Doojoon grabbed Kikwang’s chin with his thumb and forefinger. He lifted the younger’s face, their lips a breath apart. 

“I can make you feel really good, ya know?” Doojoon whispered, his tone seductive. 

Kikwang’s heart was racing and his face was on fire. Doojoon smirked, “Kiki, I wanna fuck you.” He leaned in closer, his lips brushing Kikwang’s. 

The human’s eyes widened suddenly. He shoved Doojoon away, quickly getting to his feet. Kikwang wiped his mouth before glaring. 

“I won’t sleep with you!” Kikwang shouted before escaping to his bedroom. 

Doojoon chuckled as he watched the human go. It was fun to tease Kikwang, but it would be amazing to fuck him. One day, Kikwang would give in to him. It was only a matter of time.


	15. XV

There was definitely something Jungmin had noticed after a couple months. His food bill seemed to have gone through the roof. 

Jungmin was sitting on his sofa, looking through his bank statements. Truly, he’d spent so much money on food lately. But he knew the cause, there was no other explanation. 

Yohan was sitting on the floor, legs crossed as he played with Mini and Copper. It was weird how the dogs could see him and interact with him, but other humans couldn’t. 

Jungmin gave the sin a sceptical look. It was a normal Saturday afternoon and yet here he was pondering over how there was an acute demon in his living room. 

Out of habit, now, Jungmin reached for the pendant around his neck, just holding it. Yohan was a strange case. In the past couple months all he demanded, understandably, was food. 

Jungmin hadn’t really put up much of a fight, after all, the sin just moaned and whined all day everyday. It took two days before Jungmin made a big hot pot. It felt like he’d put 20 servings in there, yet the sin ate every drop in record time. 

“I’m spending too much money.” Jungmin stated, catching Yohan’s attention. 

“On what?” He asked casually, raising a brow. 

“Food.” Jungmin narrowed his eyes at the sin, trying to access his reaction. 

“Seems like a necessary expense.” Yohan shrugged, turning his attention back to the dog in his lap. 

“It’s not!” Jungmin snapped before releasing a deep sigh. “You eat too much… can you, I dunno, eat less?” This was the weirdest conversation he’d ever thought to have.

“Nope.” Yohan glanced at the human, seeing the helpless look on his face. “I’m starving now.” He stood up suddenly after placing Mini on the floor. 

Jungmin quickly jumped to his feet too, following the sin. Yohan grabbed an entire loaf of bread, ready to snack on it. 

Jungmin was quick to grab the loaf out of Yohan’s grasp. “I bought this yesterday! Why do you need to whole loaf!?” He couldn’t help but be angry. Watching Yohan eat everything was like watching his money burn. 

“I’m hungry.” Yohan stated the obvious. “You won’t deny me food, right hyung?” 

Jungmin felt his face flush. He didn’t know why but he always felt his heart leap whenever the sin called him hyung. He knew that it was weird, but he didn’t feel like that when any of his other juniors called him. Weird…

“hyung , seriously... “ Yohan held his hand put, wanting the bread back. “Give it back.” He had a serious expression. 

“Please just control yourself!” Jungmin was close to begging. He couldn’t keep living like this, he couldmt afford it. 

Yohan raised an eyebrow, looking at the human with a rather unimpressed expression. “I’ve told you that us sins give into our sins, so just gimme the bread.” His tone seemed to have darkened a bit.

Jungmin held the bread closer to him, feeling a little stupid for doing so, but he knew the sin would just grab it if he put it down. 

“Hyung…” Yohan stepped up close to the human, forcing him to step back. Jungmin backed away until his back hit the wall, his eyes looking up at the sin helplessly. Yohan placed his hand on the wall beside the human’s head, before tilting his head. “You’re really starting to test my patience, ya know?” 

Jungmin suddenly shoved at the sin’s chest, forcing him to step back. “You’ve been testing my patience for two months!” He yelled at Yohan, catching him off guard. 

“Jungmin…”

“You won’t understand, okay!” Jungmin didn’t let the sin interrupt. “You don’t have any idea about how I have to live! I’ve tried to look past it for these last few months, but you… You just don’t get it!”

“I don’t get what you’re trying to say?” Yohan tilted his head again, genuinely confused. 

“Are you serious!?” Jungmin wasn’t usually one to blow up like this, but keeping your feelings and opinions inside can only get you so far. He’d endured Yohan’s whiny, starved persona for long enough and now he was tipping over the edge.

“Yeah, I don’t get it.” Yohan was watching the human get angrier, but he still wasn’t really sure why. 

“I have to pay for you now you know! Do you even need to eat?!” Jungmin started pacing the room, his hand raking through his hair. “I go to work in that office five days a week to pay for my house, phone, dogs, my own food, and then you eat it all in the night! Do you want me to starve?! Do you want me to be on the streets!?” 

Yohan blinked a few times, letting the words sink in. He sighed, “I don’t really care about money.” He wasn’t the Sin of Greed after all, Gluttony was a far better sin in his opinion. 

Jungmin’s eyes widened. He grit his teeth, ready to explode but he suddenly lost the vigor. Yohan seemed to have no sympathy for anything he was saying anyway. It didn’t matter to the sin whether Jungmin was struggling with money or not, as long as he got fed. 

Jungmin collapsed onto his sofa again, placing the loaf of bread beside him. Copper came up and sat by his feet, panting happily. The human smiled a little at the dog. He didn’t need another mouth to feed, especially an insatiable one.

Yohan just frowned, not really knowing how to react. Jungmin held his head in his hand, leaning on the arm of the sofa. 

The sin sat down beside him, just seeing him breathe shakily. Yohan took the loaf of bread, opening it easily and starting to eat the slices. 

Jungmin didn’t even bother glancing towards the sin, knowing all the while that he’d never win. He’d snapped at Yohan before, yet nothing seemed to ever go through. 

He knew that Yohan wasn’t human, but he didn’t realise that it would be this hard to deal with. Jungmin had gotten so stressed to the point that he’d cried a few times, just like now. 

“You’re crying, hyung.” Yohan stated the obvious, leaning in a little closer. He continued to eat the bread as he looked over the human. 

“It’s fine.” Jungmin sniffled, turning his head away from the sin. “It’s just stress.” 

Yohan sighed again. He wasn’t stupid; he knew why Jungmin was stressed. He looked down at the half loaf in his lap, before biting his lip. 

“Jungmin,” he called out to the human. Jungmin hummed in return, telling the sin he was listening. “You don’t understand either.” 

Jungmin immediately turned to Yohan, not caring that his eyes were red-rimmed and teary. “What don’t I understand?” He retaliated fast. 

Yohan raised a brow, before leaning back on the sofa. “As the Sin Of Gluttony, I am bound to my sin no matter what.” His eyes became downcast, “no matter how much I eat, it’s not enough. Sometimes, our sins become a burden, a horrible feeling, but there’s no getting rid of it. I would still choose to indulge myself instead of giving it to anyone else.” 

Jungmin listened intently. “A burden?” He couldn’t help but pinpoint the word. He’d assumed by how happily Yohan ate that he was completely content being the Sin Of Gluttony. 

Yohan nodded, before a sad smile graced his features. “I never feel satisfied. I’m starving all the time.” He shrugged as he shoved another slice of bread in his mouth. 

Jungmin just nodded. The sin was right, he didn’t understand it. But how could he? None of it made any sense. He leaned back on the sofa, the both of them just staring at the ceiling. 

Yohan glanced towards the human, a small smile coming to his face. “I must say, you’ve done a pretty good job feeding me so far. Sorry if it’s affecting your life, but I can’t change.” 

Jungmin met the sin’s gaze, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. He chuckled a little, before staring back at the ceiling. 

“You’re not really a bad guy, are you, Yohan?” Jungmin asked seriously, a smile on his face. 

“Well, I don’t know what you’d class as ‘bad’.” Yohan couldn’t face the human as he spoke. He hadn’t done good things in his life, after all, how would he have ended up in hell if he had? 

Jungmin sat up suddenly, rubbing at the nape of his neck. “That’s true. I guess you’ve never really talked about yourself, you only want food.” 

Yohan followed after the human, sitting up and leaning over himself. “You don’t need to know about me.” He glared towards the floor. “Sometimes I don’t even want to remember.” 

Interest peaked inside Jungmin. It was weird to think that as a sin, Yohan didn’t want to flaunt the title. “You have no pride in being a sin?” The human asked in a curious tone. 

Yohan made a disgusted face at the human’s words. “I am not Pride.” He never wanted to see that sin again, no matter what. 

Jungmin had tried to talk to Yohan about the other sins, but he refused to talk about them. If anything, it sounded as if he never wanted to see them again. 

There was a sudden knock at the door, making them both jump. Copper and Mini started barking as they ran towards the little foyer. Jungmin stood up, making his way over. 

“Okay, calm down.” He hushed his dogs before opening the door. 

“Good afternoon, Jungmin-ah.” Mrs Kwon the landlady stood there, a toolbox in her hands. 

“Ah, Mrs Kwon, how are you?” Jungmin bowed his head to the elderly lady. 

“Oh, Jungminnie-ah, when will you start calling me halmeoni like all the other tenants?” Mrs Kwon smiled sweetly. She was such a kind lady, no matter who she was talking to. 

“Okay.” Jungmin nodded. He’d lived in the apartment building nearly five years and still couldn’t bring himself to call the landlady that fondly. 

“Ah! I have the toolkit for you!” Mrs Kwon holding the kit out. Smiling sheepishly, she said, “I know you asked a good few weeks back, but yeobo has spent so long fixing the plumbing in room 108.” 

Jungmin just nodded. He didn’t see much of Mr Kwon, thankfully because he didn’t have many problems with his room. 

Yohan was watching the interaction from the sofa, listening into the conversation. Jungmin had taken the toolkit from the elder lady, thanking her and bowing respectfully. 

“I’m sure the wire cutters are in there.” Mrs Kwon stayed before she said her final goodbye. Jungmin just thanked her again before shutting the door. 

For a few moments, Jungmin didn’t move from the foyer. His free hand instinctively grabbed the pendant around his neck again. 

“Jungmin?” Yohan called out to the human, making him tense as he snapped out of his thoughts. 

Jungmin quickly walked back to the sofa, Mini and Copper running around his feet. He placed the toolkit on the sofa between them before sitting down again. 

“What do you need this for?” Yohan looked over the metal box. He raised an accusing brow at the human, that suddenly seemed extremely shifty. 

“I asked Mrs Kwon for the wire cutters more than a month ago. She must have only just remembered.” Jungmin raised his gaze, looking over the sin.

“I see.” Yohan knew what they were for. “You really want to risk it? Or you want to get rid of me as soon as possible?” He felt a little dejected at the thought. 

Jungmin bit his lip, glancing down to the toolkit. “It’s not like that.” He sighed. “Don’t you want to be free from me?” 

“Not really.” Yohan defended. 

Jungmin’s face felt hot, his cheeks flushing again. “You… you wanna stay?” His chest tightened; no one ever wanted to stay with him this long. 

Yohan shrugged. “I may stress you out and make you pay for food, but you seem to understand my sin. You’re providing for me quite well.” 

Jungmin gripped the pendant again. He glanced up, though his eyes directed away. “You don’t really wanna stay here, though. Wouldn’t being free be better?” 

“Well,” Yohan hadn’t really thought about how he’d survive in this kind of world anymore. Observing how Jungmin lived was good enough for him; he did get food out of it too. 

Jungmin opened the toolbox, seeing the cutter on the top. He pulled the chain away from his neck, making sure it was tight. Without even thinking he grabbed the cutters. 

He should just do it. Separate them both, giving the sin freedom and himself his old life back. That’s the way that it should have been anyway. 

Yohan’s eyes widened as he saw what Jungmin was doing. “Wait! Don’t!” He suddenly grabbed both of Jungmin’s wrists, before suddenly shoving him down. 

Jungmin dropped the cutters and kit into the floor, making Mini and Copper whimper and bark. Yohan had somehow pinned the human to the sofa, leaning over him. 

Jungmin was staring up at the sin with doe eyes. His heart was hammering hard and his cheeks red again. What just happened, it was all so quick. 

“Don’t just do things without thinking them through!” Yohan exclaimed. “Our souls are connected! If you just sever that link we might both be affected by it! We could both cease to exist!” 

“How can you die?” Jungmin whispered lowly. “Aren’t you already dead?” 

“Who cares about me!? You’re human! You could have died!” Yohan was almost hysterical as he shouted at Jungmin. 

The human just stared, not knowing what to say. Yohan grit his teeth, releasing Jungmin’s wrists. He sat up, not caring that he was sitting on Jungmin’s thighs. 

“Don’t be so fucking reckless.” Yohan raked a hand through his hair as he released a sigh of relief. 

It took a few minutes, but Jungmin finally found his voice. “Why would you care if I died though?” 

Yohan snapped his gaze back to the human in a hard glare. Jungmin sat up slowly, not caring that the sin was basically sitting on his lap. “Why?” He repeated. 

The sin held his glare, “you don’t deserve to die because Lucifer is bored.” 

Jungmin’s expression dropped at that. He quickly shook his head; why was he disappointed? What did he want Yohan to say? 

“Okay…” Jungmin nodded, his eyes directed to the side. Yohan felt confused as to why the human sounded so sad suddenly. 

“You… you don’t want to die… right?” He asked cautiously, wanting to tread lightly. 

“Of course not.” Jungmin scoffed. “Who would look after my babies?” Copper and Mini had run back to the sofa, putting their paws on the fabric and wagging their tails. 

Jungmin petted both of their heads, smiling at them. Yohan glanced at the dogs, seeing them look so happy. “You really like taking care of others.” He muttered out. 

“What are you talking about?” Jungmin chuckled softly. “All animal lovers take care of their pets.” 

“But even at the office you’ll help others.” Yohan carried on in a louder voice. “You always have a large file of work and yet you still make sure others don’t need help.” 

Jungmin’s ears turned pink at the tips, his heart skipping. Yohan was weirdly observant. No one really paid attention to Jungmin like that, so it felt weird. 

Before they were engulfed into an awkward silence, Jungmin’s phone suddenly started ringing. Yohan quickly stood up from the sofa, finally letting Jungmin up too. 

The human jogged over to the kitchen counter, where he’d left his phone. He looked over the screen, seeing the name ‘Inyeop hyung’.

“Hello, hyung.” Jungmin answered, not meaning to sound as tired as he did. 

“Jungminnie! How are you?” Inyeop sang through the phone. 

“Fine?” Jungmin felt confused. “Hyung, you saw me yesterday.” 

“I know,” Inyeop chuckled, “and I also know that you didn’t check your email last night, right?” 

“You sent me an email? Sorry, I’ll look n—” 

“Forget it,” Inyeop didn’t sound bothered or anything. “It was only a confirmation for tonight.” 

“Tonight?” Jungmin pressed, not following the conversation at all. 

“I knew you’d forget! Lucky for you, I’m calling to remind you.” Inyeop was grinning into the phone, Jungmin could practically hear it. “We’re having a company get together in Itaewon, remember? Seungkyu told you like, a week ago?” 

Jungmin sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “No, I remember now.” He was hoping that Inyeop would have forgotten too and asked him too late. 

“Great, we’re all meeting at seven.” Inyeop sounded way too happy. 

“Is everyone going?” Jungmin would feel more comfortable if it was less people. 

“I’m sure the majority are going. And you definitely are.” Inyeop didn’t even give him the chance to refuse. 

Jungmin just hummed. He was about to talk more when Yohan caught his eye. The sin would have to come with him, to a company meal, with a lot of food. 

“A-actually I—”

“No. Kim Jungmin you are coming tonight, and if you don’t turn up you’ll never hear the end of it from me.” Inyeop quickly interrupted. “I’ll meet you at the station at 6:45, exit 8. Do not be late~!” He hung up before the younger even had a chance to answer. 

Jungmin sighed, letting his phone drop back to the counter. Yohan had ended up with Copper in his lap, the dog just resting his head on the sin’s thigh. Yohan petted his head, but his eyes never left Jungmin. 

“Going out?” The Sin had heard most of the conversation, since Inyeop was loud in general. 

“Yeah…” Jungmin leaned against the table before rubbing at his face. 

The next couple hours consisted of Jungmin getting ready while worrying to himself. He was worrying about how Yohan was going to react around all the food. What kind of excuses could he give for food disappearing? 

“What are you thinking about?” Yohan questioned, leaning against the bathroom door frame. 

Jungmin had just styled his hair upwards, after showering and getting dressed. He was wearing simple ripped black jeans and a light grey turtleneck. There was a black blazer on his bed ready to go over. 

“You know how others can’t see you?” Jungmin’s time seemed a little shaky. 

“Yeah?” Yohan answered. 

“Please don’t do anything that will freak people out.” Jungmin walked out of the bathroom, past the sin and towards his bed. “Like taking food from the table, it’ll look like it just floats and disappears. That’s gonna freak people out.” 

The human pulled his blazer fast, feeling his heart race at the sheer stress. Yohan slowly walked up to him, grabbing hold of his lapels. 

Jungmin blushed at the grab. He cleared his throat, trying to act casual. The sin laid the lapels down flat, since Jungmin had twisted them in his haste. 

“You’re asking me to behave?” Yohan rephrased. 

“Please. I’ll buy you whatever food you want tomorrow, but tonight just…” Jungmin remembered the sin’s previous words. He almost felt like he was asking something cruel. 

Yohan just nodded. He didn’t really have a choice, since he needed Jungmin to stay. The human looked relatively relieved at the sin’s answer. 

The train journey was unfortunately awkward. Getting the train at 6ish on a Saturday wasn’t the smartest. Jungmin stood up and crushed up to the door, the only obstacle was Yohan. 

Jungmin was basically pinning the sin to the door. It would be less likely for someone else to accidentally touch him if Jungmin was in the way. That was the logic anyway. 

When the train finally arrived at Itaewon, Jungmin released the breath he was holding. Inyeop stood by exit 8, looking at his phone with a frown on his face. 

“Hyung.” Jungmin called out to the elder, who instantly looked over. A smile broke out on Inyeop’s face as he straightened up and pocketed his phone. 

“Jungminnie~! I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” Inyeop threw his arm around the younger, practically dragging him towards the exit escalator. 

Yohan watched the humans closely. Jungmin was laughing at whatever Inyeop was saying, his expression genuinely happy. The sin frowned a little. Jungmin only even seemed to get angry, embarrassed or stressed at him. 

When they reached the restaurant, Jungmin looked even more happy. Yohan recognised a few of the faces there; Seungkyu, Jongkyung, Kwangyo, Sanghak. 

There were a few of the older workers too, but they seemed to be sitting on another table. Jungmin sat with the ones that Yohan recognised. It was only a chicken and beer place, but everyone seemed content. 

Yohan parked himself on a barstool right next to the table. Jungmin sat between Inyeop and Seungkyu, joking and playfully hitting back. 

The sin smiled a little. It was nice to see Jungmin actually happy and enjoying himself. Yohan had gotten used to seeing Jungmin tired and overworked; caring for Mini and Copper before even thinking of himself. 

“Another cup?” Jongkyung opened another bottle of soju, already pouring all the glasses. 

“We’re gonna get through some bottles tonight boys!” Sanghak sang, already gone through three beers and way too many shots. 

Yohan was stealthily stealing food from passing waiters. He was finding it hard to hold back; the crispy chicken the humans kept ordering looked really good. Too good. 

The sin took a deep breath, quickly grabbing a few fresh pieces that were passing to go to another table. Yohan was good at sneaking food, he’d done it for years. 

The night seemed to be rolling on fast, the humans all laughing loudly as they got drunker. Sanghak has stolen Inyeop’s glasses, erupting more laughter. 

“How’s life then, Jungminnie?” Seungkyu asked, leaning towards the younger. “How’s the babies?” 

“Ah, my babies.” Jungmin grinned. His face was flushed and his eyes bleary; he’d definitely had too much to drink. “They love all the extra attention~” 

“Extra attention?” Seungkyu’s interest peaked, along with his eyebrow raise. 

“Yohan smoothers then a little too much sometimes…” Jungmin sighed, leaning on his palm. 

Yohan stood up from the stool, his eyes widening at the human. What was Jungmin saying? 

“Who’s Yohan?” Jongkyung asked from the opposite side of the table. 

Jungmin made a moue, trying to think of the right words. His glazed eyes were looking over in Yohan’s general direction. “He’s someone…” the human smiled a little, “who has helped me lately.” 

The sin was taken back. “How have I helped you…?” He muttered out, not thinking of anything he’d done for Jungmin. 

“Aw that’s nice.” Inyeop hiccuped. “Getting someone to help with ya dogs will get you to stop worrying about them~” 

Thankfully the topic of Yohan disappeared after that. They were there for hours; the older employees had been long gone. Jungmin’s table was the only one left now. 

Yohan had made his way outside a while ago. He looked up at the night sky, seeing some stars despite the city lights. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d have to return to Hell in the end. 

Surely he would never be free. None of them would be. Surely they’d have to stay in hell for all eternity. Yohan sighed, leaning back against the restaurant window. 

The wind was cold, but Yohan couldn’t really feel it. Must be nice being alive, he couldn’t even remember anymore. Yohan closed his eyes, just listening to all the sounds around him. 

The door to the restaurant suddenly opened, the humans all piling out. Yohan opened his eyes, seeing them stumble about. 

“We better get a taxi.” Seungkyu walked over towards the main road, waving his arm about. 

He’d flagged down one taxi, which pulled up. “Okay, Inyeop, Jungmin.” Seungkyu turned to the said two. “You get in first.” 

“Okay~!” Inyeop crawled into the back of the taxi. Jungmin followed after, his eyes dropping. Yohan quickly poofed into orange smoke before appearing on top of the taxi. 

Seungkyu waved the taxi off, while he was holding Jongkyung. Sanghak and Kwangyo were waving too. The taxi sped off, letting the wind whip around Yohan. 

The taxi drove into an area Yohan didn’t recognise. Inyeop stumbled out of the car, thanking the driver and saying goodbye to Jungmin. 

Yohan watched Inyeop wobble towards an apartment building as the taxi sped off again. Weirdly it didn’t take that long to get back to their own apartment. 

Jungmin gave the taxi man the fare, thanking him before falling out of the vehicle. The taxi man didn’t care, just driving away as soon as the door was shut. 

Yohan stood over Jungmin, looking down at the human. He was sitting in the middle of the path, rummaging in his pocket for his apartment key. 

“Your friends don’t even see you home?” Yohan crouched beside the elder. 

“Ha! I’m 32.” Jungmin grinned, “I don’t need to be walked home.” He shakily got to his feet, immediately stumbling over. 

Yohan quickly caught the human, his arms wrapping around him. Jungmin gripped to the sin’s shoulders, needing the leverage. 

“Ah, thank you.” He didn’t make any motion to move away. Yohan sighed, quickly looking around. There was no one around, given the early time in the morning. 

“Come on.” Yohan manoeuvred them, before pulling Jungmin onto his back. The human wrapped his arms around Yohan’s chest, not wanting to fall. 

“I’m sorry…” Jungmin whispered, lolling his head a little into the sin’s. His eyes were closed and his breathing deep. “But, thank you… for behaving…”

Yohan laughed. He carried the human up the stairs of the apartment complex, making sure that he was steady. “I didn’t want to freak anyone out.” He smirked. 

Jungmin didn’t answer, his soft breathing suggesting he’d fallen asleep. Yohan sighed, making it to the apartment. “You’ll have to tell me how I’m helpful tomorrow.”


	16. XVI

Taehyung was pulling pints in the Four Aces bar, his shift already 2 hours in. It had taken some time to adjust, but after a few months Matthew seemed to have settled himself. 

The only problem was that Matthew came home with a pile of coins and jewellery from the pub. He must have preyed on the drunks in the pub, easily taking their stuff without noticing. A few of them had come back to complain, saying that they might have left a necklace or watch, but there was nothing in the lost and found safe.

Taehyung glanced over to where Matthew currently was. He was just standing by the employee only door, arms crossed as he leaned. His eyes were closed, but Taehyung knew that he wasn’t just going to stay like that all night. He could already see three watches up his wrist. 

Whenever Matthew wore the jewellery they disappeared to human sight, just like the sin himself. Taehyung sighed to himself, pulling the last pint before giving them to the customer. “Hey, I’m gonna nip to the toilet.” He patted his coworker, Yunyoung. 

“Sure thing, I’ll cover.” The younger smiled. 

Taehyung grabbed Matthew’s wrist as he walked into the back. The sin was taken aback, suddenly being dragged into the back. Thankfully there was no one there, so Taehyung didn’t look weird dragging nothing. 

“What’s up, Taehyung?” Matthew questioned. 

“We’ve talked about this before.” Taehyung hissed through his teeth, sending a glare to the taller. 

“About…?” Matthew looked genuinely confused. 

Taehyung hated to admit it but the sin really got on his nerves. They got along in most aspects; Taehyung was even thankful sometimes that there was another man to talk to at home. They had become friends easily, both of their easy going personalities seemed to compliment one another. The only issue was that Matthew was a thief, and continuously stole not only strangers' stuff, but Jiwoo and Somin's stuff. Even Taehyung’s if he wasn't careful enough. 

Taehyung hated how he had to remind Matthew nearly every day that he shouldn’t steal, and the sin always claimed that he understood. It was getting to the point where Taehyung wanted to slap some sense into the big lug. 

“You need to stop stealing, how hard is it to comprehend?” Taehyung snapped, grabbing the sin’s wrist and gesturing to the multiple watches there. Matthew frowned, his eyes downcast. 

“I know, it’s just-”

“You obviously don’t understand, or why would you keep doing it?!” Taehyung hated getting mad at Matthew, but he just made it so easy to get angry. Sometimes Taehyung forgot that the sin was basically some sort of demon. 

“I’ve told you before.” Matthew sighed, his gaze lifting again. “It’s my sin, I can’t help it.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Taehyung rolled his eyes, not needing to hear this now. “It’s always the sin's fault, isn’t it. Like you have no mind of your own.” 

Matthew’s eyes narrowed this time, a sudden growl leaving him. He grabbed Taehyung by the shoulders, suddenly slamming him into the closest wall. The human looked up at Matthew with big eyes, fear being the most prominent emotion there. 

“All you do is get angry at my sin! You think I don’t too?!” Matthew snapped back. Taehyung just stared, he’d never heard the sin raise his voice like that. “You never even try to understand me! For you, I’m more like a guy friend you can chat idly with. You don’t seem to care about our situation at all! Are you just pretending that it’s not there?” 

“Matthew, what…?” Taehyung didn’t really know what the sin was trying to say. 

“Taehyung-hyung?” A voice came from the doorway. Seungyeob was standing there, a confused look on his face. “Youngyun-hyung said you were in the bathroom, but I heard a loud thump.” He saw that Taehyung stood by the wall. “Did you stumble, hyung?” 

Matthew was still pushing Taehyung into the wall by his arms. The human tried to move, but Matthew was far too strong. He was too bulky for his own good. “Matthew…” Taehyung muttered under his breath.

“Hyung?” Seungyeob looked worried. He stepped a little closer, more towards Matthew than Taehyung would have liked. Another step and he’d walk straight into the sin’s arm. 

“Don’t worry about me.” Taehyung grinned at the younger. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll come back out, okay?” 

“Sure.” Seungyeob nodded, but gave the elder a raised brow. He disappeared back outside, leaving Taehyung. 

The human started struggling against the grip, trying to shake Matthew off. The Sin signed, releasing the human and backing off a little. 

"You just don't understand." Matthew stared straight into Taehyung's eyes. The sin looked like a kicked puppy, his expression looking depressed. "You never take the time to even remotely understand me. I don't even know what I am to you." 

He turned and walked away from Taehyung, only to suddenly poof into yellow smoke. "Matthew…" Taehyung sighed, before ruffling the back of his hair. 

Taehyung didn't have time to worry about the sin, he needed to get back to the bar. Throughout the rest of his shift, Taehyung couldn't help but wonder where Matthew had gone. He knew that he wouldn't have gone far, but still…

Matthew was sitting outside the pub on the curb, just looking over the multiple watches on his arms. Just looking at them was making him sick, but he couldn't find it in himself to pull them off of his wrists. 

He knew. He knew it was wrong to steal. He also knew that Taehyung was something of a justice warrior. He never seemed to do anything wrong; ever. 

Matthew could see the rain starting to come down, hell he could feel it. It didn't matter to him anyway if he got wet, he could easily dry himself off without even thinking about it. 

Sitting in the rain felt kinda nice; what with all the years sat in hell. Rain was something that Matthew had really missed, that and the breeze, the sun. Anything to do with life, he missed it. 

He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees. It was kinda hard when he fell out with Taehyung. Matthew liked Taehyung, they were good friends already, but it always got torn down. 

Matthew could see it; the human got irritated to the point that he’d tug on the pendant around his neck. Taehyung wanted to break the chain and separate them, that was the only explanation, right?

The sin stood up, looking out at the dark streets. There were a lot of people walking around, laughing and having a good time. Matthew smiled, seeing how free the humans all were. 

A man suddenly brushed past him, making Matthew quickly step back. He gave the mad a strange look before he noticed something weird. 

There seemed to be a faint aura around the man; a familiar aura. Matthew furrowed his brows, confused. He followed after the man, keeping close to him. 

The man sat down at the bar, tapping the wood before raising his hand. Taehyung noticed him first, making his way towards the man. 

“What can I… get you?” He paused as he noticed Matthew behind the man. The sin was looking over the man like there was something familiar about him. 

“A vodka would be great.” The man answered. 

“Ah!” Yunyoung suddenly appeared beside Taehyung. “Hyeongkon-hyung, it’s been ages!” 

“Hey, Yunnie, how are you?” Hyeongkon grinned, obviously recognising the younger. 

Taehyung just carried on preparing the drink. His eyes glanced to Matthew, who seemed to stealthily be getting closer to Hyeongkon. 

“Here you go.” Taehyung slid the drink towards the elder man. Hyeongkon smiled at him, taking the glass and handing over some won. 

Matthew narrowed his eyes, trying his best to recognise the aura. He glanced over to Taehyung, who looked extremely confused at what the sin was doing. 

That’s when it hit him; Matthew could use all his spirit energy if he was close to Taehyung. He poofed into yellow smoke before suddenly reappearing behind Taehyung. 

The human jumped, not expecting the presence behind him. Thankfully Yunyoung and Hyeongkon were too busy talking to notice. 

“What are you doing?” Taehyung whispered. Thankfully the music was loud enough to cover his voice, so only the sin could hear him. 

Matthew’s eyes narrowed as he continued to watch Hyeongkon. “I’m experimenting.” He glanced down at Taehyung, seeing as though there didn’t seem to be much change in his spirit energy. 

Taehyung carried on wiping some glasses, not thinking much. Hyeongkon must have an expensive watch on or something, that’s why Matthew was interested. 

“Taehyung,” Matthew suddenly leaned down a little, his voice close to his ear. 

“Yeah?” Taehyung turned his head a little, only to jolt back. Matthew was really close. 

“Just bear with me for a second.” Matthew suddenly wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s waist, holding him tightly. 

Taehyung’s heart accelerated, his stomach tightening. Matthew was spooning him, and his strong muscular arms felt weirdly warm and secure. Taehyung could feel his face turn red. 

“M-Matthew, What…?” 

“Just relax.” Matthew tightened his arms. His eyes were still looking at Hyeongkon. He could feel his spirit energy stabilising, giving him his senses back. 

Taehyung wanted to relax, he really did, but he couldn’t. His heart was going crazy, almost jumping out of his throat. 

There was a faint aura around Hyeongkon’s arm, only a smudge. But it was familiar and… green. Matthew’s eyes widened at the realisation. 

“M-Matthew… let go.” Taehyung started wiggling. Mathew quickly let go, his own cheeks suddenly flushing. 

“S-sorry.” The Sin bowed his head as he apologised. Taehyung’s breathing was weirdly heavy, as he stared at Matthew. 

“Hey, Taehyung-hyung,” Seungyeob suddenly called out, grabbing Taehyung’s attention. 

“Yes.” He quickly turned to the younger. 

“You okay?” Seungyeob questioned, tilting his head a little. 

“Fine, why do you ask?” Taehyung grinned at the younger. 

“It was… well, it kinda looked like a figure looking over you and I got freaked.” Seungyeob actually had a concerned expression. “Though I was going mad.” 

Taehyung’s eyes widened; he resisted looking at Matthew. But could Seungyeob actually see the sin? That was basically what he was saying, wasn’t it? 

“Ah, don’t talk about that stuff.” Hyeongkon waved his hand nonchalantly.

“Hyung, you believe in the supernatural?” Yunyoung chuckled, mocking the elder. 

“No.” Hyeongkon ruffled the back of his hair. “But I heard a voice at my friend’s apartment. Was really weird… like it wasn’t a voice I recognised.” 

“Wow, creepy.” 

“Stop! I’ll get more freaked out!” Seungyeob playfully shoved at Yunyoung. 

Matthew had backed away from the humans, trying to process the entire situation. Taehyung turned to look at the sin, but he suddenly poofed into yellow spoke again. 

Taehyung wanted to call Matthew back, but he knew that he couldn’t. The sin was acting really weird, but then again so was Taehyung. 

He placed a hand on his chest, his heart returning to normal. Why did he react like that? Matthew was at most a friend, so what was with that reaction. Was he a girl or what?

Hyeongkon was taken away by a girl not long after. Seungyeob and Yunyoung returned to serving others, and Taehyung was counting down the last minutes of his shift. 

He really wanted to leave. He felt like he had a lot to ask Matthew, but he hadn’t seen the sin in the last two hours. He’d disappeared and not returned. 

When the time for his shift to end arrived, Taehyung didn’t stray. He said goodbye to the youngsters before going to the staff room and grabbing all of his stuff. 

Taehyung clocked out and left the pub through the back door. He pulled his phone out, seeing the time: 02:04. He could probably find some food at home. 

Taehyung walked from the back around to the front of The Four Aces. Matthew was sitting on the curb, his head hung low. Taehyung smiled a little as he saw the sin. He placed his phone to his ear; even though there weren’t many people around it was still a precaution. 

“Hey, Matthew.” He said when he stood behind the sin. “What are you doing?” 

The sin immediately stood up, looking at Taehyung with big eyes. “I was waiting for you.” 

Taehyung felt his cheeks heat again, but he just nodded. “Let’s go home.” He smiled a little before starting off down the street. 

Matthew followed after, his head hung low. They walked for a while until they got to a more secluded area; a park. There weren’t any people around this area at this time, which was kinda eerie. 

Taehyung walked over towards the swings, sitting down on one. Matthew followed, stopping right in front of the human. “Taehyung, what’s wrong? I thought we were going home.” 

“We are,” Taehyung looked up at the sin, “but we can’t really talk at home since Somin and Jiwoo will be asleep.” 

Matthew nodded, but didn’t really know what else to say. Taehyung sighed, not really knowing where to start. But, they couldn’t sit there until the sun came up. 

“What was that hug about?” Taehyung had to glance away as he asked. 

“Ah, that.” Matthew scratched at the back of his neck, eyes glancing away. “I just… I needed to use all of my spirit energy.”

“Spirit energy?” Taehyung questioned seriously. Weirdly that made his chest clench; what answer did he want? 

“I needed to use it to sense something. But because our souls are linked, I guessed to use the max spirit energy, I needed to be close to you.” Matthew’s ears turned red, his hair overly ruffling his hair. “Sorry if it made you uncomfortable.” 

Taehyung smiled at how cute the Sin looked. “I wasn’t uncomfortable.” He wouldn’t lie about it, but he definitely wasn’t going to tell Matthew how fast it made his pulse shoot up. 

“Good.” Matthew actually looked extremely relieved. He smiled, that smile that reminded Taehyung of a happy puppy. 

Taehyung suddenly frowned a little, “what did you need to sense?” He couldn’t help but be curious. 

“That guy at the bar… there was some aura residue on him.” Matthew answered, his eyes a little shifty. 

“Guy at the bar? You mean Hyeongkon?” Taehyung shrugged, thinking back to the elder. “He’s friends with Yunyoung and Seungyeob, a sunbae from university or something.” 

“He had a tiny bit of sin aura on him.” Matthew rephrased, his eyes suddenly serious. 

“Sin aura?” Taehyung frowned. “But I don’t really know him, so you’ve never met him before.” 

“Exactly!” Matthew suddenly threw his arms into the air. “It wasn’t Greed! It was Envy aura!” 

“Envy…?” Taehyung’s eyes widened with relaisiation. Matthew nodded his head, clarifying the obvious. 

“Didn’t he say that he heard a voice at his friends house?” Matthew reminded, “What if that was Envy he heard?” He seemed to be in acute panic. 

“Hey,” Taehyung stood up from the swing, looking over the sin. “You okay?” 

“You wouldn’t travel far out for a bar, right?” Matthew suddenly started glancing around the park. 

“Hey, his friend could live really far out.” Taehyung placed a hand on the sin’s shoulder, trying his best to comfort him. 

Matthew nodded, believing in those words. Taehyung couldn’t help but worry, seeing that the sin’s eyes were still shifting in all directions. 

“Is the sin of Envy that bad?” Taehyung asked softly. 

Matthew looked down at the human, seeing his concern. He sighed, “not really… Seungho-hyung isn’t that bad. He just… stays to himself.” 

Taehyung nodded. It was weird to think that all the other sins had normal names, a past, a personality. Matthew wasn’t alone in that dungeon. There were six others with him. 

“Do you want to avoid finding the others?” Taehyung questioned seriously. 

Matthew sighed, suddenly wrapping his arms around Taehyung again. Be brought the human into a hug, enveloping him. Taehyung’s heart palpitated again, making his face flush. 

“I know what my hyungs are capable of, even Sungjoo.” Matthew places his hand on the back of Taehyung’s head, patting gently. “We’re probably all clueless as to how to separate our souls from a human, so that wouldn’t stop some of the others testing out on us.” 

Taehyung tried to move, but his hands were crushed against the sin’s pecs. “What do you mean?” 

“I care about you, Taehyung.” Matthew suddenly stated. The human felt his heart stop suddenly, his eyes big as he listened. “You’re a good friend to me, and even though I piss you off with my sin, I know you see me as a friend too. I don’t want any of the other sins to find us if that means putting you in danger.” 

“W-Why would you assume… I’d be in danger?” Taehyung wanted to know more about it all. 

“I’ve thought about doing it too.” Matthew confesses, “thought about finding one of the others and severing their bond physically. Seeing what would happen to the human, and the sin. I don’t want to risk hurting you, but I don’t know the other humans.” 

Taehyung’s cheeks were a soft pink, his heart stuttering like each breath he tried to suck in. “You have no empathy for other humans?” He whispered. 

“You’re the only human who can interact with me,” Matthew pulled out of the hug, a smile on his face. “I don’t really care ‘bout others.” 

“But,” Taehyung took a step back, giving them some space, “in the bar… Seungyeob could see you, right? Even if it was just a shadow…” 

“I’m not sure what that was about either.” Matthew pouted a little as he thought. “Maybe in that moment, you were giving me so much spirit energy that I almost manifested into your plain of existence.” 

Taehyung couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. Matthew smiled too, the mood lightening a little. They laughed together for a while, just changing the atmosphere. 

“Let’s head home.” Taehyung started walking in the direction of the apartment. Matthew quickly followed after, now walking beside and not behind. 

Taehyung still wanted answers about how Matthew was seen by others, but he knew the sin was as clueless as himself. They both seemed to really wing it through the entire situation. 

When they arrived back at the apartment, Taehyung silently opened the door. Matthew slipped in before the door was shut and relocked. 

Taehyung sighed, flopping down on the sofa. His stomach grumbled, but he couldn’t really be bothered to move. Matthew smiled, seeing as though the human was too tired to move. 

“You should go to bed if you’re tired.” Matthew said matter of factly. 

“I’m also hungry…” Taehyung whined, though he made sure to whisper. He let his head thunk onto the back of the sofa, before lolling in the general direction of the kitchen. 

Matthew was already there, grinning like he already had a plan. He walked over towards the fridge, seeing what they had in there. There wasn’t a lot, but Matthew could make an omelette at least. 

Taehyung’s eyes closed as he laid on the sofa, he could hear noises coming from the kitchen. Thankfully, Matthew was trying his best to be quiet, knowing the girls were asleep in their room. 

Taehyung was suddenly greeted with an omelette. Matthew has thrown in a lot of cheese and ham, wanting there to be enough to fill Taehyung. The human just stared at the plate a second before he grinned. 

“Thank you.” He took a plate and fork Matthew had brought for him. The sin sat beside Taehyung on the sofa as he ate. 

Taehyung scoffed the omelette down, enjoying some food in his system. Matthew leaned on his arm as he watched the human. He looked so happy as he ate something so simple. 

“Thank you.” Taehyung placed the plate on the coffee table. He leaned back on the sofa, his body feeling weak and tired. “I’ll make you an omelette in return…” he smiled softly. 

“You don’t have to do anything like that, I don’t really eat.” Matthew reminded, just making the human scoff. 

“Food is what makes life worth living… What’s life without good food?” Taehyung’s eyes were starting to stoop, sleep taking him over. 

Matthew watched as Taehyung fell asleep, curling into a little ball on the sofa. The sin chuckled, reaching out and moving some of Taehyung’s hair out of his face. 

“I don’t want them to hurt you.” Matthew sighed. He couldn’t believe that he’d seen a trace of Seungho on a random human. He knew what the others were like, himself included. They always looked out for number one. 

Taehyung murmured a little in his sleep, rolling onto his side. Matthew reached an arm out, stopping the human before he rolled off the sofa. “You should’ve gone to bed first before sleeping.” 

The sin quickly maneuvered, picking Taehyung up princess style. Matthew steadied then after straightening up from the sofa level. Taehyung turned his head towards the warmth, burying into the sin’s chest. 

Matthew cleared his throat a little, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. He walked towards Taehyung’s room, thankful that it was ajar. He leaned his back against the door to open it, not wanting to disturb the human. 

Matthew placed Taehyung down on the bed. He quickly pulled off the human’s hoodie and socks, wanting him to feel more comfortable. After sling sure that he was more comfy, Matthew brought the duvet over the human. 

Taehyung snuggled down into his pillow, turning to his side and curling up. Matthew laid down beside him, on top of the duvet. He just watched Taehyung’s relaxed expression. He looked so pleasant. 

Matthew smiled to himself, his eyes never looking away from Taehyung. The past couple months have been some of the best of his life. Not only was he free from Hell, but Taehyung had made it better too. 

Matthew knew he was being selfish. After all, Taehyung couldn’t live a normal life with a sin stealing his soul or whatever. Matthew had access to a lot of jewels and gold in the real world, which of course he never had enough. 

His greed was suddenly getting the best of him. He wanted more. More of Taehyung. No way would he ever let another sin touch him. Matthew wasn’t the best fighter, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t fight back. 

Matthew lifted his arm, gently placing it in Taehyung’s arm. The human snuggled further into his sheets, burying his face into the pillow. Matthew smiled again at the cute display. 

He definitely wouldn’t let anything happen to Taehyung. He’d fight against all six of the others if he had too. Matthew closed his eyes, wanting to fall asleep too. 

As a sin, Matthew didn’t need to sleep. But it was something that he missed every now and then. Maybe falling asleep next to Taehyung would be easier. But if it was, he knew that he’d just want more and more from the human. 

Matthew sighed to himself. No matter what, he couldn’t overcome his sin. He’ll just have to give in and want more and more from Taehyung. 

More and more.


	17. XVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so late... but it’s still going on ☺️ㅋㅋㅋ

Yongguk was sitting on the end of Junhong’s bed, just watching the human sleep. It was weird, but watching Junhong sleep so soundly calmed him. Maybe it was because their souls were connected. 

Yongguk had vowed to find a way to separate their souls, yet here he was almost four months later. Junhong shuffled, turning onto his side and snuggling further into the duvet. 

It was weird. Yongguk glanced down at his lap, feeling calm. At night was when he felt most calm. Seeing Junhong at peace was a weird comfort too. 

Yongguk growled, the calm fading. He needed to figure out how to separate them. A hint would help, but he could just imagine Lucifer laughing from hell at him. Probably them all. 

Yongguk narrowed his eyes slightly. He’d kept his eyes open for any sign of the other sins, but they weren’t anywhere to be seen. Lucifer wouldn’t have sent them all far from each other, that wouldn’t be as fun to watch. 

After a few more hours, Junhong finally began to stir. Yongguk was still sitting at the bottom of his bed, just staring at the wall. 

Junhong didn’t even jump anymore. He never asked why Yongguk sat there, but it’s not like he minded. “G'morning.” Junhong smiled a little as he stretched. 

“Morning.” Yongguk replied, but immediately stood up. He walked out of the room, leaving Junhong alone. 

Every morning was the same. Yongguk would leave the moment Junhong woke up, like his job was done. Junhong just shrugged, not dwelling on it too much. 

A quick shower later and dressed in his casuals, Junhong exited the bathroom. The university dorm rooms were big enough, with separate rooms for the bathroom and bedroom. The kitchenette and living area were the same room though. 

Yongguk stood against the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes directed down. Junhong frowned at the sin, it felt like they hadn’t really spoken in days. 

Junhong had gotten used to living each day with Yongguk there. He still got angry easily and snapped at him, but Junhong knew that he mostly didn’t mean it. It was only his sin. 

“Are you okay, hyung?” Junhong questioned as he poured himself some cereal. Somehow along the way, Yongguk has accepted being called ‘hyung’ by the human. 

“Fine.” Sharp and venomous, like usual. 

“Are you sure? I can tell that something is wrong.” Junhong grinned, seeing the Sin glare towards him. 

“You think you know me well?” Yongguk scoffed, rolling his eyes at the human. 

“Well,” Junhong glanced towards the calendar, “you know we’ve known each other for four months since yesterday.” 

“Does that mean you know me?” Yongguk scoffed, before pushing off the wall and pacing around the room. He paced a lot, but whatever made him happy. 

Junhong smiled at the sin as he sat down on the scruffy sofa. He started eating his cereal. Yongguk glanced towards the human, watching him eat his corn flakes. 

Junhong picked up his phone, flipping through Instagram. Yongguk had made his way towards the window, looking out at Seoul. 

The student dorm building had twenty floors, and Junhong lived on the fifteenth. It was a nice view, as things considered. Yongguk still couldn’t get over this skyline. It was so different from his time. 

The sin placed his hand on the glass, just looking out. He sighed, capturing Junhong’s attention straight away. He looked over towards Yongguk, seeing the slump in his shoulders. 

“Yongguk-hyung, is everything alright?” Despite how harsh Yongguk was to him, Junhong couldn’t just ignore him when he was so obviously down. 

“I’m just thinking.” Yongguk usually just snapped, but he actually answered. Junhong’s eyes widened; there really must be something wrong with him. 

“What about?” Junhong stood from the sofa, placing his bowl to the side. He walked towards Yongguk, standing beside him and looking out the window. 

“How much everything has changed.” Yongguk’s eyes never once left the view. “This is a world that I don’t know, and I’m stuck here. It’s frustrating.” His tone turned growly towards the end, expressing his anger. 

Junhong just nodded, not really knowing what to say in that situation. He’d spent a lot of time googling and researching about the Seven Deadly Sins, hoping that he could find something, anything helpful. 

“Maybe we could swing by the library again today.” Junhong tried his best to encourage. “They might have a book on the Sins, and could maybe help…” he reached for the pendant around his neck, holding it tight. 

Yongguk finally spared a glance to the human. Junhong looked sad, probably thinking that it was all his fault. Well, Yongguk couldn’t deny it. It was Junhong’s fault for wearing his necklace, but without him he could be still out there as a piece of old jewellery. 

The sin looked back out the window, his body still slack. Junhong bit his lip, wondering what he could say to make it better. 

“When we do separate our souls… what happens then?” He was really curious to know. 

“I go back to Hell I suppose.” Yongguk honestly didn’t know the answer to that question. 

Junhong just nodded again. “Is… is that what you want?” He wanted to help Yongguk, though he wasn’t exactly sure how. 

“No.” Yongguk was fast with his answer. “I told you, we are prisoners there.” If it was up to him, he’d rather die again and actually go to the afterlife. 

Junhong started fiddling with his fingers, trying hard to think of the right words to say. “Then… would separating our souls really matter?” 

“What?” Yongguk glared towards the human. 

“I mean… you can stay for as long as you want. I know that I’m not the best company, but it’s gotta be better than going back there right?” Junhong didn’t really know what to say, but he didn’t mind living with Yongguk. 

“What are you saying?” Yongguk shook his head. “We’re both prisoners up here.” 

“Prisoners?” 

“Of course. Look at us? We can’t go anywhere without the other.” Yongguk sighed deeply, his eyes narrowing again. 

“Yongguk-hyung,” Junhong leaned a little closer to the sin. “You look sad…” he was used to Yongguk angry, after all it was his sin. 

Yongguk smirked a little, followed by a small chuckle. “You know, people used to say that Sorrow was the eighth sin.” He took a step back from the window, “and it's the one that we all feel.” 

Junhong gave the sin a worried look as he backed away before turning around completely. “You all feel? You mean the sins?” 

Yongguk places his hands into his pockets. “We may have one sin that represents us, but we all represent sorrow. Lucifer knows this.” He suddenly lashed out, punching his fist into the wall. 

Junhong immediately jumped, seeing the dent in his wall. Yongguk gritted his teeth. “If it was possible, I’d fucking kill him.” He stormed towards the kitchen area, just wanting to get away. 

The rest of the morning seemed pretty awkward. Junhong had gathered all of his university things before exiting the apartment. He knew that Yongguk was behind him, but he was a good few paces back. 

Junhong couldn’t help but glance back at the sin. Yongguk had his head down and eyebrows furrowed, he was obviously still angry. Always angry. 

Junhong turned back to the path. There weren’t many people out this time, so the streets were quiet. Junhong sighed, gripping hard to his backpack strap. He wanted to help, he really did. 

They were approaching the university fast. Junhong glanced to the side, looking through the barbed fence at the sports grounds. The tennis courts were empty, no one wanting to practice. 

Junhong walked towards the Music block, still making sure to glance behind. Yongguk was still walking with his hands in his pockets, but was casually looking around. 

Junhong smiled, seeing as though Yongguk always found something new on their walk to university. They made their way up the stairs and towards the music tech area. 

As always, Hangseok was already in the room, his computers set up raring to go. He was typing away on his phone, a soft smile on his face. 

“Morning, Xion.” Junhong called out to him. 

“Mornin’, Zelo.” He called back, not once taking his eyes away from his phone. 

Junhong sat at his own desk, starting up the computers and keyboard. Yongguk just walked past them both, standing at the back of the room. He leaned against the wall, looking out of the window again. 

Junhong followed him with his eyes. He couldn’t help the weird guilty feeling inside. It was like he was the reason Yongguk was unhappy, the reason why he couldn’t leave. He knew that wasn’t true, but he couldn’t help feeling it. 

“Hey, Junhonggie, I need some advice.” Hangseok woke the younger out of his own thoughts. 

“Huh? On what, hyung?” Junhong turned his attention to Hangseok, but still stole glances towards the sin. Yongguk was glaring and frowning, but now Junhong could see the sadness in his eyes clearly. 

“I’m planning on writing a love song.” 

Junhong raised an eyebrow, interest peaking. That was definitely a leap in genre from Hangseok’s usual sound. “A love song?” Junhong smirked a little, “is there something you want to tell me, hyung?” 

Hangseok gave him the finger, making Junhong laugh. “Well… there’s this hyung that I… kinda like.” Hangseok’s cheeks turned red and his eyes didn’t meet Junhong’s. 

“Kinda?” Junhong smiled softly, seeing how serious the elder was. “You wanna write a love song for this hyung, that’s more than kinda.” 

Hangseok just chuckled, trying to hide his embarrassment. “It’s also for the project. But, I wanna dedicate the piece to Jaehwan-hyung.” 

“That’s so sweet.” Junhong grinned. “You should use piano or acoustic guitar as the lead instrument though. Maybe even both, with one as the accompaniment.” 

Yongguk was just listening to them talk musical terms. He didn’t really understand it, but it was nice to see Junhong get enthusiastic. 

Somehow, Junhong always seemed to mellow Yongguk’s wrath. Just seeing him smile seemed to calm him. It was weird. Yongguk didn’t want to pry on reasons, he kind of liked letting go of his wrath, even if it was only a few seconds. 

“You need to introduce us!” Junhong wheeled his chair over towards Hangseok. “You’re keeping this Jaehwan-hyung a secret from me?” He freigned offence. “And here I thought we were friends.” 

Hangseok playfully pushed at the younger, forcing his wheelie chair back. Yongguk’s eyes narrowed at their close display of friendship. He’d never been close to anyone like that; no one would put up with his anger. 

“I’ll introduce you if this love song works.” Hangseok grinned. 

“Promise?” Junhong held his pinky out. 

“Yeah, Yeah,” Hangseok linked their pinkies together. “I promise that you can meet him.” 

And just like that, the two humans got back to doing their work. Yongguk could never understand what they were doing on those computers, but he didn’t care enough to ask. 

Hours passed before Junhong started packing away. “In a rush?” Hangseok asked, seeing the younger stand up. 

“I’m just gonna go to the library.” Junhong’s eyes looked over towards the sin before back to his friend. “Theory stuff.” 

“‘Man, don’t remind me,” Hangseok shuddered at the thought, “I haven’t even started that stuff.” 

Junhong just laughed before shutting down the computer. “I may come back, I’m not sure yet.” 

“Well, I’ll see ya later anyway.” Hangseok waved the younger off. Junhong smiled before disappearing out of the room. Yongguk was behind him, sending a dark glare to Hangseok as he passed. 

Junhong did as he promised, and started looking around in the history and religion region of the library. There had to be a book on there that would help, not matter what kind. 

Yongguk was just wandering around the shelves, looking over all the different books. There were three floors to this library, and they were currently on the second. 

Yongguk pulled a random book from the shelf, opening it and flipping through the pages. The world really had learnt more and evolved from his days. Looking from Hell didn’t do Earth justice on how it had advanced. 

The sin picked up another book, looking over the black cover. “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End…” he mumbled to himself as he read the title. He flicked through a few pages, seeing a glimpse of all the medical care that was available now. 

Yongguk couldn’t help but glance at his hand, the other clenching the book tightly. He had many scars on his hands and knuckles, all from past fights. Yongguk had even killed people with just his fists before. 

The sin glanced through the shelves, catching sight of Junhong. The human was flipping through some book on Christianity. He was trying hard to figure out everything, yet he still said there was no need to rush. 

Yongguk sighed again. Would Junhong be so willing to help him if he knew the things that he’d done? Wrath was a dangerous sin, and there were many people that got on the wrong end of it before Yongguk was killed. 

There was no way Junhong would just look past everything. Yongguk didn’t want to scare the human away so he’d kept to himself; but how long before he found something out. 

Junhong ruffled the back of his hair as he placed the book back. He walked over towards the university computers, sitting at one and entering his log in. 

Yongguk just watched the human. Junhong looked like he was really concentrating on the webpage he was reading. Yongguk walked over towards Junhong, standing behind him. 

There were words and images, endless information that always seemed useless in the end. Yongguk sighed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. He could feel the frustration building already. Why was it so difficult to just find out things? Why did Lucifer have to be so irritating in his methods?

“Agh!” Junhong suddenly slammed his hands onto the desk. Yongguk furrowed his brows, not expecting the suddenly outburst. “Why can’t I find anything remotely helpful?” Junhong sounded disheartened as he ruffled his hair.

Yongguk just stared for a while. Junhong turned around in his chair, frowning before standing up. He took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself.

“You’re angry.” Yongguk stated, his eyes never leaving the human’s. 

“Huh?” Junhong gave the sin a lost look. Yongguk stepped closer, forcing Junhong to take a step back. 

“I can sense your anger.” Yongguk looked way too serious as he stared at the human. He could almost see the faint red aura around him. That wasn’t normal; other humans that got angry didn’t show visible aura. 

“I’m not angry, I’m okay. Just a little frustrated.” Junhong was angry at himself if anything. He was basically useless in this whole ordeal. He could at least be of some use to the Sin, but everything he did seemed pointless.

“I’ve never seen that aura around you before.” They’d spent four months together, so Yongguk was obviously observing the human. 

“Well, I’m allowed to get angry now and then, right?” Even Junhong’s tone sounded sharp. Yongguk glanced down to his pendant, seeing the dull glow of red. His eyes widened in realisation of what was happening. 

Junhong had stepped past him, claiming that he was going to find another book. Yongguk narrowed his eyes, looking down at his hands again; he could see the usual red aura around his hands. His wrath was starting to corrupt Junhong, he could feel it. 

Spending all this time together without even coming close to separating their souls was taking a toll on Junhong. Yongguk’s soul was corrupting him, filling him with the sin. 

Usually Yongguk wouldn’t care so much, but he’d never actually seen anyone like Junhong before. The human actively avoided conflict, and tried to find the good in every situation. 

Yongguk frowned a little. Junhong might have said that it was okay to take their time, but the longer Yongguk was by his side the more angrier Junhong would become. 

Yongguk was ruining the human. He shook his head, trying not to lose those thoughts. Yongguk didn’t mind Junhong; he was a good kid. Too good to be corrupted. 

Yongguk suddenly disappeared into red smoke, appearing on the roof terrace of the library building. 

“Lucifer!” He yelled, looking up at the sky. “Enough Of these games! What is the end result you want?!” He wasn’t expecting to get an answer, but it was a good way of letting out his anger. 

Yongguk dropped his head, walking towards the banister. He looked down at the tarmac, four stories below. Even if he jumped, Nothing would happen. 

“You’re calling for Saesbyeol, Ira-nim?” A sudden voice called from behind. Yongguk’s eyes widened, recognising the voice. 

“Taewoon.” He turned, a snarl on his face as he glared at Lucifer’s messenger. 

“You’re actually here.” Yongguk stormed towards the messenger, making him back away. 

“Come on, Ira-nim.” Taewoon chuckled nervously. “You don’t have to get violent. Saesbyeol heard you and I’m here to deliver your message.” 

Yongguk was still stalking towards the demon. “Why doesn’t he send you with answers!” He growled, fists clenched and jaw tight. 

“Well…” Taewoon was still stepping back, laughing awkwardly. “He doesn’t know your question?” He even sounded unsure. 

“You said that he heard me!” Yongguk’s eyes were slowly turning red, his aura dark. “What the fuck does he want?! What is the end result of all this!?” 

Taewoon reached the stairs from the terrace, so he started backing down. Yongguk was following after, the red in his eyes still prominent. 

“Look, I’m not sure what Saesbyeol wants the end result to be.” Taewoon backed down another flight of stairs before entering the second floor of the library. 

Yongguk suddenly started running towards Taewoon, immediately throwing a fist at him. Taewoon ducked, letting Yongguk smash his fist into a bookcase. 

The books started falling to the floor, capturing the attention of some students. Junhong instantly stood up from the computer, looking towards where the noise came from. 

“Yongguk?” He caught a glimpse of the sin lunge behind another bookcase. Junhong got to his feet, stealthily making his way towards where he’d seen Yongguk. 

The human hid around a bookcase when he saw that Yongguk was talking to someone. “He can see Yongguk…?” Junhong mumbled to himself. He looked over the other man. He was wearing a full black suit, including a tie. 

“Ira-nim, please, there’s no need to get so angry.” The man was backed up to the window now. Yongguk was still stalking up to him with death in his eyes. “I’m here to pass on your questions?” 

“You’ve brought no answers!” Yongguk wound up, launching at the man again. Taewoon yelped, only just dodging. 

Yongguk’s fist went straight through the window, shattering the glass. Junhong gasped and shot out of the hiding place, seeing the sin’s fist stuck in the glass. 

“I told you not to get angry.” Taewoon grinned, showing a fanged teeth. 

“You think this’ll stop me from breaking your neck?” Yongguk smirked before pulling his arm back through the window. The shards cut into his forearm and hand, blood trickling down. 

“Yongguk,” Junhong quickly ran towards the sin, flailing around the injury, “are you okay?” 

“Junhong, why are you interfering?” Yongguk growled at the human, eyes still red. 

“You’re hurt! I can’t just leave you, you need to disinfect this and bandage up and-“

“So this is the human that found your pendant?” Taewoon spoke up, since he was still there. Yongguk growled instantly, glaring past Junhong at the demon. 

“Why are you really here, Taewoon?” Yongguk questioned. He knew that Lucifer wouldn’t care about his questions. Four months felt long on Earth, but to Hell it was nothing. Lucifer probably wasn’t done laughing at them for a long time. 

Junhong held the sin’s arm carefully, feeling his blood on his palm. It was warm, like a really human. He glanced at Yongguk, catching a tiny twinge. So it did hurt him? 

“Okay fine.” Taewoon threw his hands up, giving up. “Lucifer sent me to observe the humans you’re all linked with.” 

“So the others all have a human too?” Yongguk narrowed his eyes. He’d get as much information as he could while Taewoon was here. 

“No cute girls though, what the hell.” Taewoon mumbled, ruffling the back of his hair. 

“Why does Lucifer need to know about the humans?” Yongguk gritted, simultaneously topping his arm out of Junhong’s grasp. The human looked worried, but didn’t have time to talk. 

“You think I know?” Taewoon scoffed, suddenly clicking his fingers. A black clipboard suddenly appeared, and a black pen. Taewoon grabbed the pen, quickly scribbling something down. “Choi Junhong…” he muttered out. 

“How did you know my name?” Junhong questioned, looking over the demon with wide eyes. Taewoon looked up at the human, seeing the worried look on his face. 

“I know all your names.” Taewoon grinned, but I’ve kept my distance from everyone.” 

“You thought you’d come taunt me?” Yongguk tightened his fists again. 

Taewoon held the clipboard tight, seeing the sin advance on him again. “When I saw you shouting on the roof,” he grinned sheepishly, “I couldn’t help but mess with you.” 

“Bastard!” Yongguk suddenly launched at Taewoon, slamming straight into him. 

“Yongguk!” Junhong shouted for the sin as both demons crashed into the window. The impact immediately made the glass shatter, causing a ripple of screams in the library. 

Yongguk and Taewoon both fell through the window falling to the pavement. Junhong ran to the hole in the glass, trying to see the two demons. 

He couldn’t see them, but he knew that Yongguk must still be close. “Hey!” A voice called from behind. Junhong turned around, seeing an older student in a white coat run towards him. 

Junhong just stood and stared at the student. “Hey, you okay?” The sunbae asked seriously, before his eyes looked straight to the blood on Junhong’s hands. “Crap, are you hurt?” 

Junhong looked down at his hands, seeing Yongguk’s blood there. He looked back to the student. “Sunbae… you can see the blood?” 

“Of course!” He shook his head. “What happened? The glass is everywhere.” 

“Dongwoon, what’s happening?” Another student ran over towards the sunbae. 

“Hyunseung-hyung, I’m just checking over this hoobae.” The student, Dongwoon, gestured to Junhong. 

“Are you okay?” Hyunseung was searching over Junhong’s face. 

“It’s… it’s not my blood…” Junhong mumbled before he looked back out the window. 

“Did a student fall?” Dongwoon’s eyes widened in horror. He approached the window, carefully trying to see. 

“We should get you to the infirmary.” Hyunseung tried to direct Junhong, but the younger one wasn't having any of it. 

“I’m sorry, sunbae, but I need to go!” Junhong gently pushed Hyunseung back before he started sprinting. 

“Hey!” Hyunseung called after him, but Junhong kept going. He pushed his way through other students starting to gather around. He could hear the sounds of some professors entering the scene, asking what had happened, after all there was now a broken window from the second floor. 

Junhong ran down the stairs, making his way to the outside. He accidentally brushed into someone, nearly knocking him out. “Sorry.” He kept rubbing, slamming his hands into the exit doors to the outside. 

“What was his deal?” The student asked, but didn’t think more of it. 

“Yongguk!” Junhong quickly looked around where the glass was on the floor outside the library. There were a few students and staff gathered, looking up at the broken window and whispering. 

Junhong was too busy searching around in a panic. “Yongguk, where are you…?” He lowered his voice a little, not wanting to attract attention to himself. 

“Why does Lucifer want to know about the humans?” Yongguk’s voice sounded from around the corner of the building. 

Junhong quickly ran that way, seeing the blood that was still running down the sin’s arm. Taewoon was pinned to the brick, his non-bleeding arm pressed into the demon’s neck. 

“You think I ask?” Taewoon tried to press his entire body into the wall. 

“What does he want the humans for? To replace us?” Yongguk was up and close, snarling into the demon’s face. 

“No one can replace you guys,” Taewoon laughed, “do you even realise how long you’ve been in hell?” 

“Do you think I won’t kill you?” Yongguk growled darkly. 

“Look, I just do what Saesbyeol wants me to do.” Taewoon pressed a hand to Yongguk’s abdomen, trying his best to push him away. “I don’t know what he wants.” 

“What do you want then?” Yongguk was starting to lose his patience. 

“I’m just here to get an accurate reading on the humans.” Taewoon frowned, “you should know that from Hell the perspective is always wrong.” 

Junhong stepped a little closer, catching the attention of both demons. Yongguk glared at the human, red eyes still shining. 

Yongguk sighed, winding up his fist again. “Wait!” Junhong suddenly jumped out, grabbing Yongguk’s bloody wrist before he slammed a punch into Taewoon’s face. 

“What are you doing!?” Yongguk shouted at Junhong, making him jump but not let go. 

“You’re hurt, don’t make it worse!” Junhong snapped back, staring into Yongguk’s eyes. 

Taewoon glanced between the two of them, seeing the soul energy between them. He sighed before suddenly exploding into black smoke. 

Yongguk stumbled into the wall, growling at how Taewoon had gotten away. “Now he’s gone!” He yelled at Junhong, ripping his bloody wrist out of his grip again. 

Junhong just narrowed his eyes. “Doesn’t it hurt? You need to take care of it!” 

“I’m a sin! Even if it hurts like fuck, I won’t die from it!” Yongguk stormed away in a random direction, punching his fist into the brick and cracking it all. 

Junhong just stood and watched the sin walk off. He wouldn’t get that fair, not with their connection but still. 

Junhong looked down at his still bloodstained hands. It was drying now, but it was still there. Even the sunbaes had seen the blood. 

“Yongguk…” Junhong suddenly started feeling lightheaded. Yongguk was getting too far away. “Yong…” His eyes lidded, his consciousness slipping away.


	18. XVIII

Wonjun slammed his fist into the wall, growling at how he hadn’t found any leads. Minsu was sitting in his bed, leaning against the wall as he read through his book. 

In the four months they’d spent together, Minsu had learnt to ignore the sin. He kept out of Wonjun’s business and in return he stayed out of his. 

“How come you haven’t asked Jaehwan about his friend yet?” Wonjun suddenly asked, stepping up to the bed and crossing his arms. 

“Oh sorry,” Minsu sarcastically answered, not even looking away from his book. “I thought you were capable of finding the sins by yourself.” 

Wonjun frowned, hating how the human talked down to him. He was capable, but it was more difficult when you existed on a different plane of existence. 

“You must enjoy having me around.” Wonjun suddenly flipped the conversation. Minsu gave the sin a disgusted look, grimacing at the very thought. 

“What gave you that disgusting idea?” He questioned seriously. 

Wonjun chuckled, leaning against the wall. “You refuse to assist me, but you know if you do I’ll be out of your life faster. So, by default, you must enjoy having me around.” 

Minsu closed his book, glaring up at the sin. “You’re insane. Do you honestly think that?” 

Wonjun shrugged. “It’s not a matter of thinking it, it’s obviously true.” 

“You’re delusional.” Minsu shook his head. He stood up from his bed, checking his watch. It was Saturday and Jaehwan didn’t need him today so he was free. It was early afternoon, and Minsu was already bored of staying at home. 

Without saying anything, Minsu grabbed his oversized black hoodie and phone. Wonjun knew where he was going, he’d seen this exact scene before. 

Wonjun has caught on that apart from home, Minsu felt most comfortable at a small coffee shop. Minsu walked out of Studio Sonic, making his way to the said coffee shop. 

The cafe was called ‘Republic’, small and quiet, not much patronage. Wonjun followed after Minsu towards the cafe. As much as he hated the idea of following, he didn’t have much of a choice. They’d both suffer the consequences in the end. 

Wonjun didn’t mind anyway, getting outside gave him more headway. He’d devised so many different approaches to the situation, but none of them seemed likely. He knew for a fact that Lucifer wouldn’t have scattered them all far. 

“Hey, Minsu~” Sunwoo greeted him as soon as he walked in. Minsu waved at the elder, before walking towards his usual table in the corner. 

Wonjun had studied Choi Sunwoo, easily picking up on his traits. He was a nice guy, and he cared and worried about Minsu. Minsu seemed to worry a lot of people, from his brothers to Batistas. 

Wonjun sat opposite Minsu, leaning back in his chair. Sunwoo has whipped up an americano for Minsu, who was more than glad to receive it. 

“Ah, you know me so well.” Minsu smiled, grabbing the hot mug. 

“You shouldn’t drink so much coffee though, it’s bad for your health.” Sunwoo reminded, before being called away by another customer. 

Wonjun raised an eyebrow at the interaction, but Minsu ignored him. The human was too busy staring out the window, sipping at his coffee and sinking into his thoughts. 

Minsu was weird. Wonjun had lived and studied him for four months, and yet he still couldn’t read him. He was definitely lonely, and almost sad, but he didn’t show much. 

“Okay.” Minsu turned towards Wonjun, his eyes serious. “I’ve decided to help you.” 

“Why?” Wonjun leaned forwards, leaning on the table.

“On one condition.” Minsu ignored the question. 

“You’re trying to bargain with me now?” Wonjun scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning back again. “Not sure how well your negotiation skills are.” 

Minsu narrowed his eyes, trying his best not to sigh out loud. “All you have to do is directly ask me for help.” He smirked a little. 

Wonjun snorted, before breaking out into a laugh. “You’re serious?” He shook his head. “You want me to ask you, a human, for help?” 

Minsu didn’t lose his smirk. “Yes. ‘Kim Minsu, please help me find the Sins.’ Easy, right?” Ever since he’d met Wonjun, he just wanted to pull him off of his high horse. 

Even if Wonjun was the Sin of Pride, Minsu wasn’t going to best let his boss him around and act like the boss. No way. They were linked now, and that meant that they stood at the same level. 

“I’m not saying that.” Wonjun immediately refused, just as Minsu had suspected. 

“Fine, then spend another four months running in circles.” Minsu took another sip of his coffee. He looked so smug. “Because from where I’m sitting, you can’t get anywhere around Seoul without me.” 

Wonjun’s eyes narrowed. He stood up suddenly, stalking around the table. Minsu just watched. He kept his expression stone, but his heart was starting to accelerate.

“You forget,” Wonjun suddenly leaned down, pressing his hand to the window. Minsu jolted back a little, since the sin was now only an inch from his face. “I may not be able to travel around without you, but I can still touch you. And that means that I can easily test my original theory.” 

Minsu pursed his lips, but continued to glare into the sin’s eyes. Wonjun was threatening to kill him, again. It seemed to happen a lot whenever Wonjun seemed Minsu too cocky. 

“Then what? The sins will just fall into your lap?” Minsu challenged. 

Wonjun chuckled, before shaking his head again. He stood straight again, giving the human some space. “You have too much heart for your own good.” He’d never say it, but sometimes he admired Minsu. 

“I have my pride too.” Minsu turned back to his coffee. “I will not be intimidated by you.” 

Wonjun walked back towards the other side of the table, sitting opposite again. They sat there in silence for a while, no words spoken between them at all. 

After an hour, Minsu decided that it was time to leave. He paid Sunwoo and bid him farewell before leaving the building. Wonjun raised an eyebrow, wondering where the human was headed. 

“You’re going to university?” Wonjun recognised the route after a few minutes. Minsu ignored him, shoving his hands in his pockets after placing his earbuds in. He didn’t want to talk to Wonjun anymore, he was too irritating. 

Wonjun rolled his eyes at the human’s obvious dismissal. He didn’t care though, he didn’t need Minsu’s attention or anything like that. He glanced around the street, observing all the other humans walking around. 

Minsu cut down an alley, which led straight towards the back of the university. He kept his head down as he passed some other people. Wonjun frowned when he saw that two of them started to follow after Minsu. 

“Hey!” The taller one grabbed Minsu by the shoulder, forcing him around. He yanked at Minsu’s earphones, pulling them from his ears. 

“What?” Minsu glared at the man gripping hard to his hoodie. 

Wonjun just stood to the side. Nothing like this had happened before, after all, Minsu didn’t interact with people at all. 

“You think you can just walk past us without showing respect?” The man snarled. 

“What are you talking about?” Minsu scoffed. He slapped the man’s hand away, only for it to lash out and clench into his hoodie again. 

“What’s your problem!? Didn’t your parents teach you to respect your elders?” The other guy spoke. Minsu just glared at both of them, not knowing either of them. They probably weren’t even students now that he looked at them seriously. They didn’t seem to type to want to advance in life. 

“There’s no need to-“

“Don't talk down on us, bastard!” The man that had a grip on Minsu suddenly slammed him into the wall. 

Wonjun raised an eyebrow; what did these men even want? “You're a student at Sagawanamu University, right? That means you gotta be rich!” He glanced down at Minsu, seeing him in black jeans and his oversized hoodie. No brands. 

“Give me your wallet!” The other man snapped, trying to be threatening. “And that necklace, that looks like it could be worth something!” 

Minsu glanced around the alley trying to find anything that would help him out of this situation. He smirked when he found something helpful. 

Wonjun watched as Minsu grabbed a broom that was thankfully in arms reach. He swung it fast, smacking the guy that was grabbing him. The man stumbled, releasing him in the confusion. 

Minsu made a run, but the other guy quickly grabbed his wrist. “You’re gonna pay for that!” He slammed Minsu back into the wall, making him gasp in pain. 

The man who got hit with the broom growled, winding up a tight fist. “I’m gonna kill you!” 

Minsu’s widened. He’d just take the hit and deal with the aftermath later. Wonjun sighed, before walking towards the pathetic excuse of a fight. 

Minsu clenched his eyes shut as the man’s fist came flying at his face. No impact came however, just the sound of strained gargles. 

Minsu slowly opened his eyes, only to see Wonjun gripping the man’s wrist. The man was in a panic, since there was no one there holding him. 

“What is this!?” He shouted towards Minsu, spitting on his face in the process. Wonjun looked more disgusted about it than Minsu did, so he twisted the man’s arm. 

The sound of his screech echoed down the whole alley. Even the other guy started looking really concerned. Wonjun smirked at Minsu, before giving him an unnecessary wink. 

With little effort, Wonjun launched the man by his arm to the other side of the alley. He crashed into the wall, falling into a pile of used boxes. 

The other screamed, looking at Minsu like he was the demon. Wonjun stalked towards him, grabbing him by the shoulders before slamming him into the floor. 

The other three people in the pack ran towards Minsu, cursing and yelling. Maybe from where they were standing it looked as though Minsu had taken the guys out. 

Wonjun just smirked, before turning towards the three of them. Minsu watched with wide eyes as Wonjun took the other three out easily, his skills clear cut and precise. 

After two minutes, the only sounds were the pained mumbles of the men now scattered around the alley. Wonjun made his way casually towards Minsu, looking proud of his work. 

“Shall we?” He gestured towards the university before leading the way. 

“Why did you do that?” Minsu ran after him, the concern vivid in his tone. “You’re invisible to them! Do you know how much you can mentally affect someone doing that?” 

“As I recall, I just saved you from a poor robbery attempt.” Wonjun carried on walking, his head held way too high. 

“That’s not the point!” Minsu was now beside the sin, glaring at him. “You definitely damaged their psyches!” 

“Look, I don't even know what you’re talking about. I simply ‘thank you’ would have sufficed.” Wonjun didn’t even look at the human. He just carried on walking, like what he did didn’t affect anything. 

“Are you crazy? I can take a hit. They would have gotten bored and left it at that!” Minsu didn’t want them to start some weird ass rumour about him, which in that neighbourhood probably would circulate. 

Wonjun rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Humans don’t appreciate anything.” 

Minsu took a deep breath, calming himself down. He could shout and fight with Wonjun for hours, but nothing ever got through to the sin. He was too high and mighty to even listen to what Minsu had to say. 

They entered the university building, making their way towards the library. “Still no thank you?” Wonjun questioned, glaring towards the human. 

“I didn't ask you to intervene.” Minsu slammed through the library doors. He stormed off towards the computers, wanting to just do some work. He’d put his earbuds back in and just get on with it. 

Wonjun raked a hand through his hair. Minsu parked bundled in front of a computer, and he’d probably be there for hours. This was no better than being at the coffee shop. 

Wonjun disappeared into blue smoke, catching Minsu’s eye. The human sighed deeply, ruffling the back of his hair. Maybe he should just help Wonjun find the other sins, after all, he’d leave faster. 

Minsu leaned back in his chair as the computer lined up. He looked down at his hands. Wonjun had just saved him from a mugging, but he didn’t seem to have any thought about consequences. But then again, he didn’t care about Minsu, he was like a thorn in Wonjun’s side. Just another obstacle. 

Wonjun had made his way to the top floor of the library, looking around at all the humans reading up there. He made his way towards the window, seeing that the library overlooked the sports fields and pool. 

The sin looked out at the buildings. “Where the fuck are you all?” It would be so much easier if Lucifer left him a clue, or at least gave him advice. But no, the bastard left him to do it all himself. 

Wonjun leaned against the window, his arms crossed over his strong chest. He was getting tired of all this. No one, especially not Minsu, appreciated him here. He was just a ghost here. 

Wonjun pushed off the glass, making his way towards the books. He was in the history section, which was conveniently empty. He grabbed a book, flipping through it and reading about some of Korea’s past. 

From Hell Wonjun had watched the world mature and evolve… and forget. His own legacy died out years ago, and not a person around today remembered him. None of them were remembered by the world anymore. 

Wonjun just dropped the book on the floor, walking away from it. He needed to figure out where they were, it was starting to test his patience. He’d tried his best to sense them, or even listen to random humans in case they mentioned something suspicious. 

Wonjun walked back over to the window, glancing down at the pool. He could see a couple of people swimming, but there was something in his stomach that was churning slightly. He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus his gaze. 

“Fuck.” He was too far away to see, but the hunch didn’t subside. Wonjun disappeared into blue smoke again, suddenly appearing right beside Minsu. 

“Jesus!” Minsu gasped, jumping out of his skin. Other students gave him either glared or unimpressed looks. Minsu just bowed in apology before glaring at the sin. 

“Take me to the pool area.” Wonjun demanded suddenly. Minsu just turned back to his computer, ignoring him again. 

Wonjun clenched his jaw, before reaching forwards and gently taking a bud out of Minsu’s ear. “We need to go to the pool, now!” 

“Why?” Minsu’s whisper was barely audible. 

“I have a hunch, and they’re never wrong.” Wonjun concluded. Minsu just gave him a disapproving look, but sighed anyway. He saved his work, but continued. 

Wonjun just rolled his eyes. “Then I’ll go without you.” He turned and started to walk out of the library, looking around at the signs that were around. 

Wonjun spotted the sign for the pool, with a helpful arrow. He followed the directions, which led him towards the sports area. It was a lot further than he expected, and he was starting to feel a little faint. 

“Fuck sake.” Wonjun glanced at his hands, seeing that they had become see-through. He was getting too far away from Minsu, but he needed to check. He needed to be sure. 

Wonjun forced his way towards the pool area, making it to the gate before his eyes started getting dark. “Shit…” he quickly scanned the area, but the shapes were blurred. 

Minsu’s head was killing him, and his eyes were feeling heavy. He glanced down at the pendant, seeing it glowing blue slightly. It was calling Wonjun back; he was too far away. 

Minsu quickly turned off the computer before getting to his feet. He stumbled as he tried to walk. He needed to get closer to Wonjun before he passed out. 

“Crap…” Minsu fell to his knees, his body feeling weak. Whatever Wonjun was doing he was taking too much of his soul energy. “Wonjun…” 

Even the murmurs of the students around him were becoming more faint and further away. Minsu suddenly collapsed, his consciousness gone. 

Minsu’s body felt heavy; too heavy. He forced himself to open his eyes. Even though his vision was blurry, he could make out the white ceiling. 

He glanced to the side, seeing that he was definitely in the university infirmary. Minsu groaned, trying his best to sit up, but the weight was still on him. 

When he glanced to the other side, it took everything for Minsu not to yelp. Wonjun was laying beside him, though he was mostly draped over half of his body. There was a faint blue outline around him, like he was regenerating still. 

Minsu tried to pull back, but Wonjun had him trapped under his weight, and his body still felt weak. Weirdly, Minsu couldn’t help but take advantage of this moment. He’d never seen Wonjun asleep before, or unconscious. 

Wonjun’s face wasn’t that far from Minsu’s, just passed out beside him. Minsu had thought it before and couldn’t really deny it, Wonjun was really handsome. His dark skin and handsome features were more than enough to admire. 

Wonjun always wore a military jacket but Minsu could see a little down it. He caught sight of a scar that looked like it was over Wonjun’s chest. 

Minsu glanced up to the sin’s face again, seeing how peaceful he looked. In the four months they’d been linked, Minsu had only seen him frustrated and cocky. He was trying to find the other sins, but it was near impossible. 

“What was at the pool?” Minsu rhetorically questioned, searching Wonjun’s face. Man, he really was handsome. If he was alive he’d definitely have all the girls after him. 

“Ah, you’re awake.” The voice of the university nurse sounded. Kim Heechul, he was a nice enough guy. 

“How did I… get here?” Minsu asked, but made no effort to move. 

“Well, some students noticed you faint and carried you here.” Heechul grinned before pressing his hand gently to Minsu’s forehead. “Do you feel sick, or faint?” 

“No… my body just aches.” Minsu glanced towards Wonjun, who was still out cold. 

“Too much working out?” Heechul chuckled, before turning back towards his desk. 

“Must be…” Minsu sighed. 

“Feel free to stay till you get your strength back.” Heechul offered. 

“Thank you, seonsaeng-nim.” Minsu would stay until Wonjun woke up. It seemed like too much work to try and shove him off. 

A good few minutes passed before Wonjun’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was Minsu’s face up close to his, and his dark eyes staring into his. 

“Why are we really close?” Was the first thing he asked. 

“You stormed off like a kid and went too far.” Minsu answered, glad that Heechul had left five minutes ago and wasn’t yet back. “This is the university infirmary, and you took fucking forever to wake up.” 

Wonjun just hummed, his eyes directing away. “You’re too stubborn. All you had to do was follow me.” 

“I’m not a dog.” Minsu gritted through his teeth. 

Wonjun chuckled, before shaking his head as best he could in his current position. He made no move to lift himself from Minsu, and just continued to pin his to the bed.

Minsu shifted his head, like he was trying to get away, but didn’t really make an attempt to move. Wonjun raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. 

They both laid there for a good few minutes, that was until Wonjun lifted himself. Minsu looked towards him in confusion, since he showed no effort earlier. 

Wonjun glanced at the human, a small smile on his face. “You looked like you were getting hot trapped under the sheet.” He straightened his body, before stretching his arms over his head. “Anyway, get up. I need to check the pool.” 

Minsu rolled his eyes. He almost felt warm inside with Wonjun’s concern, but the true meaning always came out in the end. Minsu sat up, before leaning back on his palms. 

“You’re really bent on the pool, huh?” He shook his head, before turning to the side and getting to his feet. He straightened up his hoodie before storming past Wonjun and towards the door.

Just as he was about to leave the infirmary, Heechul appeared back at the door. “Ah, Minsu. Back on your feet, I see.” He smiled, looking charming as always. 

“Yeah, thanks for putting up with me.” Minsu bowed his head to the doctor before walking out of the infirmary. Wonjun walked after, giving Heechul a side glance as they left.

Minsu made his way out of the building and into the courtyard. Wonjun frowned, suddenly gripping the human’s wrist and stopping him in mid walk. Minsu jolted backwards as the sin pulled him back. 

“What the fuck!? What?” Minsu gripped onto Wonjun’s wrist, trying to pull his grip off. “Let go of me!” 

“We’re going to check out the pool area, even if I have to drag you there.” Wonjun was tired of waiting on the human. 

“Let go of me! People can’t see you remember? This will look strange if someone passes by!” 

“Then just behave and come to the pool.” Wonjun’s eyes were hard as he stared at the human. Minsu just glared back, his wrist still in Wonjun’s grip. 

“Fine! We’ll go, but back the fuck off! Don’t just grab me like that!” Minsu tore his hand away, but only because the Sin had loosened. 

Minsu stormed towards the sports buildings, already hating the idea of going there. Wonjun followed, glancing around as he did, it was almost as if something familiar was in the air. 

Minsu quickly walked through the building, ignoring the other students that were in there. If he didn’t raise attention to himself no one would question why he was there. 

Wonjun looked around the hallway, seeing the amount of trophy cabinets full of different sports. Sports weren’t anything like how they were in Wonjun’s day, which were more violent. His family were ones for fox hunting, but personally Wonjun wasn’t interested in such minimal sports.

The sin tilted his head, looking over Minsu. The human was still looking around casually, giving Wonjun a nice profile shot every now and then. Minsu kind of looked like a fox, with his curved eyes and sharp features. Weirdly, Minsu was actually really good looking, it was more weird that he was always alone. 

“Do you not have any friends at all?” Wonjun suddenly questioned as he looked over the back of Minsu’s head.

“You’ve been with me for months, answer that yourself.” Minsu whispered back, since there were others still around still. Wonjun knew that the only people Minsu interacted with were Jaehwan and Sunwoo. Every person in his class already had their own clique of friends, while Minsu usually sat on his own concentrating on the lectures.

Minsu walked out of the double doors at the end of the corridor, which once again led to the outside, but now they were at the pool. As Minsu had suspected, it was empty. 

Wonjun walked past the human, looking around the area. He jumped onto one of the starting blocks, scanning over the water. Minsu just wandered around, keeping his eyes on the Sin. Maybe he should take his chances and push him into the water, but that would probably have consequences that he didn’t want to deal with. 

“Excuse me, can I help you?” 

Minsu immediately turned to the source of the voice. It was an older man in joggers and a jersey. He was holding a folder and had a stopwatch around his neck, his features looked foreign. The man raised an eyebrow, walking towards Minsu, his expression judgemental. 

“You’re not one of my students, what are you doing here?” He had a chinese accent. Minsu didn’t pay enough attention to the university sports to know who the coach was, or even the athletes. 

“Uh, I’m…” Minsu glanced towards Wonjun, but the sin had made his way towards the benches. “I was just… looking?” Minsu tried, though the coach didn’t look all too convinced. 

“Looking?” The coach frowned. “Are you… perhaps interested in joining the swim team?” His entire demeanor changed, like the sun was shiny brighter. 

“Oh, no, I was just…” Minsu didn’t know how to get out of this situation. If he said he was interested in the club, the coach could sign him up when he didn’t really want to commit. But, what would happen if he was caught trespassing?

Wonjun narrowed his eyes as he tried to sense presence. He forced himself to relax and focus, and that's when he saw it. Just on the end of one of the benches was some purple essence. 

“Acedia…” Wonjun turned back to Minsu, where he seemed to be slightly panicked. There was another man hounding him with questions. Wonjun made his way towards the humans, listening into the conversation the closer he got.

“If you want to join the team I can get you a form now?” The coach grinned, like this was the most exciting thing he’d heard all semester. Wonjun stopped when he stood beside Minsu, just raising an eyebrow. 

“I’ll have to think about it, really…” Minsu chuckled awkwardly. “I just came to check out the pool while it was quiet.” 

“Oh, well I’m glad that you’re showing slight interest but, you should know that it's dangerous to snoop around the pool. Accidents are inevitable where there are wet surfaces.” The coach warned. 

“I understand, I’m sorry for coming without permission.” Minsu stealthily elbowed Wonjun in the rib, making him jolt in surprise. He glared towards the human but decided not to make a scene in front of another human. 

“Well if you can fit swimming within your schedule just come back and ask for me, Han Geng.” The coach pointed to himself. “I’ll get you set up and sorted.” 

“A-ah, sure.” Minsu nodded before glancing to the doors. “I have to go now, I have a seminar.” And with that he bowed to the coach before making his way towards the exit. Wonjun glared at Han Geng as he walked past, seeing as though the coach was watching Minsu go. 

It would be strategic for Minsu to join the swim club, that was if Sloth was actually involved there somehow. He might have just gone during passing. But then, his aura there seemed consistent.  
“We will have to return when the swimmers are active.” Wonnun clarified seriously.

“Are you crazy? I can’t go back there now, the coach will recognise me.” Minsu shook his head, refusing. No way was he joining the swim club, he didn’t have the stamina or patience for that crap. 

“I know that there is another sin there.” Wonjun specified, not once looking away from the direction they were walking. Minsu turned to the sin with wide eyes.

“Another Sin?” Minsu stopped in tracks, almost in disbelief. “There is actually one there?”

“Yes.” Wonjun stopped a few steps in front, slowly turning back to look at the human. “And if I get one, the others will slowly follow.”


	19. XIX

Joon tapped his fingers along the side of the mug. He couldn’t get rid of the smile that seemed to be constantly on his face these days. 

He sat at a little coffee shop, sat outside in the sun. Opposite him was Seungho, looking over a map. Joon had laid the map out on the table, and thankfully people didn’t pay attention enough to realise that it was upside down for him. 

It was one of Joon’s days off, and he promised that if he didn’t have plans he’d accompany Seungho into finding the sins. They’d been unsuccessful so far, but still. It was worth just spending time together. 

“How can it be this difficult?” Seungho mumbled to himself. He’d tried to figure out a strategy, but everything always turned out fruitless. 

“Maybe you’re just thinking too hard?” Joon had an AirPod in his ear and his phone on the table. That way he’d look like he was on the phone. Thankfully the trick has worked easily. Joon wanted to talk to Sin after all. 

“Like the solution is obvious?” Seungho looked up at the human, an eyebrow raised. Joon felt his breath hitch a little; just their eyes connecting was enough to completely distract him. 

Seungho frowned, seeing as though the human had just frozen in place. “Joon?” Seungho slammed his hand onto the table, making Joon jump instantly. 

“Yes??” Joon blinked rapidly, waking himself up from the daydream. “Did you say something?” 

“You’re very distracted today.” Seungho sighed, before leaning back in his chair. 

Joon chuckled nervously, his cheeks turning red. He gripped onto his mug tighter, not caring that the hot liquid was burning his palms slightly. 

Seungho could see the tenseness in Joon’s shoulders. He was never this nervous and twitchy; maybe he was sick. “Are you feeling okay?” The sin asked seriously, his eyes searching Joon’s expression. 

Joon cleared his throat, before ruffling the back of his hair in the most nonchalantly way he could conjure. “I’m fine.” He sent the Sin a dazzling grin. 

Seungho raised an eyebrow, not believing a word. The atmosphere between them suddenly became heavy, making Joon even more shifty. He gulped down his coffee, trying his best to distract himself. 

“Maybe we should leave.” Seungho suggested, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

“Great idea!” Joon stood up immediately, grabbing his mug and walking back towards the counter. He sighed to himself as he got out of earshot. 

For the past few weeks, Joon has been more aware of Seungho. Living with someone for nearly half a year really brought them closer together. Even when Seungho’s sin showed, Joon didn’t mind it all that much.

“Thank you!” The young girl bowed as Joon passed his mug back. “Have a good day!” 

“Thank you.” Joon bowed back before making his way back out of the coffee shop. As soon as he opened the door, he couldn’t help but slow his walking and stare. 

Seungho just stood in the middle of the road, his hands in his pockets and his eyes closed. The wind was blowing at his coat and hair, making him look like a masterpiece picture. 

Joon’s eyes widened, his heart skipping in his chest. Seungho slowly turned to him, their eyes locking. Joon could feel his cheeks turning red as the sin continued to stare at him. 

Seungho furrowed his brows, watching Joon stare at him blankly. But, his stare wasn’t just blank. There was a hint of something there, and Seungho wasn’t stupid enough not to notice it. 

These days, Joon gave him the same look he gave to Hyeongkon. Seungho pulled his gaze away from the human’s, not wanting to encourage the look. 

The past few months hadn’t been bad by any means, and they got along more well than Seungho would have thought. The only problem now was that Joon had grown too accustomed to having Seungho around. 

Seungho smiled a little to himself. It wasn’t just Joon; he started getting too comfortable around the human too. Joon didn’t seem to care about Seungho’s envy, or the fact that they shared his soul. 

As nice as it would be in the end, Seungho couldn’t stay. Joon was definitely more tired out recently, and Seungho knew that it was definitely his fault. He felt stronger each day, and it must have to do with Joon’s spirit energy. 

Seungho gritted his teeth, his fists clenching in his pockets. He didn’t want to hurt Joon, but just staying beside him was slowly destroying him. Humans didn’t have that long of a lifespan anyway, and Seungho was cutting Joon’s shorter. 

“Shall we go?” Joon suggested, pocketing his phone and the map. He kept the AirPods in, so they could continue their talking. 

Seungho just nodded. The both of them just walked around for a while, no words spoken. It was a nice sunny day, and Joon was feeling happy today. He was only in a tight fitted jumper and torn jeans. 

Seungho has to stop himself from looking at Joon; he looked good. It was nice to see Joon happy and enjoying himself, he especially looked cute in his sunglasses. 

The sin growled to himself, killing off those thoughts. Joon was an attractive person with a cute personality, but that shouldn’t be affecting Seungho in any way. But it did. So much more than he wanted it to. 

Even now, Seungho could feel a snarl on his face. Girls were giggling and pointing as Joon walked past. Even men were checking him out, no one even trying to be subtle. 

Joon was ignoring them well, or maybe he didn’t notice at all. Unfortunately for Seungho he noticed the moment eyes fell on his human. The boiling feeling in his gut was churning up more, making him feel sick. 

“They’re all staring at you.” Seungho gritted through his teeth. He was staring forwards, refusing to look at Joon. 

Joon gave the sin a confused look, but immediately saw the hunt of green in his eyes. He knew that it meant nothing, but joon couldn’t help the little spark of happiness inside him. 

Seungho was jealous over him. Joon knew that it didn’t mean anything significant, but it still made his chest tighten. There was a tiny bit of hope there, and it was a little worrying for Joon. 

“Do you not feel repulsed by their stares?” Seungho questioned. “Because I do. I’m disgusted by the way they look at you, not just anyone should look at you like they deserve you.” 

Joon just hummed, not knowing how to respond. He took a deep breath, opening his mouth to speak, but stopping himself. He glanced at Seungho who still had green eyes. The intense shade had engulfed his entire iris now since people were still looking, and even catwistling. 

“Humans can be disgusting creatures sometimes.” Seungho carried on. “Staring at you like you’re a piece of display meat.” 

“Who deserves me, Seungho?” Joon suddenly asked, his heart racing unbelievably fast. 

Seungho sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “You deserve the world. Someone who gives you the time you need, and also the space. You deserve everything, and I know that’s generic, but true.” He turned those green eyes on Joon. “You’re a good person, Changsun. Don’t sell yourself short.” 

Joon felt his eyes sting a little at those words. He just nodded, not trusting his voice to be steady enough. Seungho growled, shaking his head a little. 

“Just… ignore me…” Seungho waved a hand while the other pressed into his forehead. “My sin is-” 

“I-it’s okay, I know.” Joon quickly interjected. “I don’t take it to heart.” He quickened his walking, strolling a little ahead of the sin. 

He knew. He really did. He thought he understood the Sin of Envy, but it still caught him off guard. Should he not believe in Seungho’s words? 

Seungho sighed, rubbing at his temples. He needed to calm down. Whenever it came to Joon his Envy seemed to spike. There was this weird possessive side of Seungho that he hadn’t felt in centuries. Like he wanted to own Joon. 

“Stop.” Seungho growled to himself. Joon deserved a lot better than him. One day Seungho would have to return to Hell and let go of Joon entirely. He’d never see him again. 

Seungho felt a tinge in his chest at that thought. He pressed his hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating hard. He looked up, staring at the back of Joon’s head. 

The rest of the day consisted of walking around, chatting idly and not much else. Joon had brushed off the awkwardness earlier and acted as if it never happened. Seungho was thankful. 

The sun had started to set, making the streetlights come on. Joon hummed, his hands in his jeans pockets. “Got a little colder, huh?” 

Seungho glanced at the human, seeing him shudder a little. They’d been walking around for hours so naturally the weather had declined with the sunlight. 

The Sin shrugged off his jacket, hoping that it would actually work. He draped the jacket over Joon’s shoulders, making him jump a little. 

“As a sin I don’t really feel the weather.” Seungho shrugged, leaving himself in his long sleeved, black shirt. 

“Thank you…” Joon blushed a little as he pulled the jacket around himself more. Seungho smiled a little, seeing as though he did something nice. 

Joon put the jacket on properly, seeing that it seemed to fit perfectly. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around himself. He didn’t think that it was actually possible to be given a piece of clothing, or anything by the sin and keep it. 

They both walked down the path, only a few cars passing on the quiet street. “Can other humans see your jacket?” Joon questioned, genuinely curious. 

“Probably.” Seungho answered, though he wasn’t 100% sure. “You’re wearing it now, so I suppose for now it’s yours.” 

Joon just nodded, but even his ears were pink. He needed to stop feeling so embarrassed around Seungho. Surely it wasn’t good for either of them. 

The walk was nice, with the calm weather and quiet streets. Joon glanced down, seeing how close their hands were as they walked. He could easily reach out and touch Seungho. 

Joon hastily crossed his arms, giving those thoughts the boot. He wanted to hold Seungho’s hand now? Joon felt a little guilty having thoughts like that. After all, he had Hyeongkon. He should miss him when he wasn’t with him, but he didn’t really think about it when Seungho was there with him. 

Seungho could tell that the human was having an internal conflict. Joon always furrowed his brows and slightly pouted as he argued in his head. 

“Joo-”

“Hey!” Joon suddenly cut the sin off. “I’ve heard of this pub before!” He was gesturing to the building on the other side of the road, which was lit up and had people smoking outside it. 

“The Four Aces?” Seungho read the big sign on the front of the building. 

“Hyeongkon goes a lot with work.” Joon smiled sweetly. No matter what, he still loved Hyeongkon after all. Seungho really hated that guy.

Joon was already crossing over the road. Seungho followed but couldn’t help but glare. “I’ve never been, but Hyeongkonnie always seems to have a good time.” 

Seungho scoffed at that. “Yeah, sure.” 

Joon just ignored the sin, knowing that it was just an unnecessary Envy outburst. He walked through the doors, walking into the lively pub. There were a lot of people laughing and drinking, having a good time. 

Joon made his way towards the bar. Seungho narrowed his eyes, looking around the building. There was a weird sense of familiarity. 

“Hello,” Joon finally made it to the bar. 

“Hello, how can I help?” A young man smiled on the other side. He had a name tag that said Lee Seungyeob. 

“I’ll have a pint.” Joon nodded, “the best one you got.” 

“Sure thing!” Seungyeob pulled a pint, making sure that it had the perfect amount of froth. Joon traded his wons for the glass, before turning back around and looking over the pub. 

“You’re drinking now?” Seungho was beside him, just looking over the glass. 

“I’m allowed to indulge now and then.” Joon smiled. Seungho couldn’t argue with that smile, it was too perfect. 

“Don’t overdo it.” Seungho didn’t want the human to get in any sort of trouble. 

Joon just chuckled, before chugging some more alcohol. Seungho just leaned on the bar, his eyes scanning around the entire pub. 

There wasn’t really anything interesting about the pub. Just people laughing and having a good time. Seungho sighed; he didn’t remember having moments like this. Sitting around with friends and family and having a good time. 

Joon had pulled out his phone, looking through his messages. He had a few from Sanghyun, just drama from work and memes. There was a message from Hyeongkon too, making him smile sweetly. 

Seungho looked over Joon’s shoulder as he looked over the message. Something about Hyeongkon doing a lot of overtime and missing Joon. 

The sin rolled his eyes, turning back to the bar. He stood right behind Joon, arms crossed as he glared at the other humans. A lot of people walked past and gave Joon a hungry look. 

Pubs were a good place to pick people up, so there were probably people thinking about hitting on Joon. Seungho’s eyes narrowed at the thought; no one was getting near Joon. 

-

Taehyung yawned, stretching his arms above his head. He sat up, looking around his bedroom. He had an early shift at the store and a late shift at the pub, so having a nap was always welcome. 

Taehyung furrowed his brows, seeing as though Matthew wasn’t in the room. The sin usually slept on the bed beside him, or splayed out at the bottom. 

Taehyung had told Matthew before not to sleep on the bed, but after a while he just let it go. Matthew’s big dog tendencies always got Taehyung to give in. 

He stood up, quickly making his way towards the bathroom. Taehyung noticed Matthew day on the sofa, his head tilted as he watched the tv. Somin was sitting on the floor doing her work, so she must have been the one that put the tv on. 

Taehyung smiled a little, seeing the lost look on Matthew’s face. He disappeared into the bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping into the running water. He sighed in content. 

Matthew looked over towards the bathroom, smiling at the thought of Taehyung. It was cute how he hummed subconsciously, and he could be heard from outside. 

“I’m home~” Jiwoo sang as she came through the door. 

“Welcome home!” Somin grinned, jumping to her feet. She ran towards Jiwoo, pulling her into a hug. 

Matthew just watched them, his smile never leaving him. He’d lived with the three humans for half a year, and he’d really gotten to know them. Jiwoo and Somin’s relationship was something that had never really crossed Matthew’s mind before. 

He had heard of same sex couples before, even back in his time but seeing them was different. Or rather, it wasn’t. Seeing how Somin and Jiwoo loved each other was no different than any couple. They were dedicated to each other and it was naturally beautiful. 

Matthew has witnessed them fight on more than one occasion. But at the end of the day, they’d forgive each other and make up. It didn’t matter they were both girls, they just purely loved each other. 

The sound of the bathroom door opened, revealing Taehyung with only a towel on his hips. Matthew just stared at the human, his eyes widening and his cheeks feeling hot. 

If it didn’t matter for a man and a woman, or two women, then it didn’t matter for two men either. Matthew quickly slapped himself in the face, trying to clear those thoughts straight away. 

Taehyung furrowed his brows, hearing and seeing the slap. Matthew kept his head down, trying his best to avoid the human’s eyes. 

“Welcome home, Jiwoo.” Taehyung turned his attention to the girls instead. 

“I’m back.” Jiwoo smiled at Taehyung before pressing a kiss to Somin's cheek. “You have work tonight, oopa?” 

“Yeah, late shift at the pub.” Taehyung answered. 

Matthew glanced towards the human, seeing the handsome grin on his face as he ruffled his damp hit with a towel. The sin couldn’t help the warm feeling that welled up inside of him. 

Matthew sighed as he leaned back on his sofa. He looked down at his lap, where his hands were. He’d started getting used to living with the humans. They were a joy to be around, especially Taehyung. 

At first Matthew thought it was because Taehyung was the only one that could see and talk to him. But somewhere along the way, Matthew wasn’t too bothered about talking to anyone else. He enjoyed spending every day with Taehyung; was that normal? 

Taehyung has disappeared into his bedroom, obviously getting dressed for his shift. Matthew’s thoughts had started depressing him a little. There was a part of him that didn’t want to break his and Taehyung’s bond. He wanted to stay on Earth with him. 

Matthew chuckled, “that’s unfair.” He would only burden Taehyung if he stayed. He was like a parasite, living off of Taehyung’s life force. There was no way he could stay with him continuously. They’d always be called back to Hell once the game was over. 

“Have you noticed oppa seems a lot more happier these days?” Somin's voice woke Matthew out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah, actually now you mention it.” Jiwoo placed her hands on her hips. “He doesn’t seem as tired and worn out, even after long shifts.” 

“Maybe he got a girlfriend?” Somin wondered, placing a finger on her chin in a thinking stance. 

“Maybe… but then it doesn’t matter if he’s at the store or pub.” Jiwoo reminded her. 

Matthew couldn’t help but smile, the tips of his ears turning red. Was it him that made Taehyung happy? He was with him everywhere and anywhere. 

Taehyung got angry at him for trying to steal now and then, but he’d always end the day smiling and laughing with Matthew. The sin honestly hoped that it was him that made Taehyung happy. 

Taehyung emerged from his room, dressed in ripped jeans and a band shirt. His phone and wallet were in his hands before being shoved into his pockets. 

“What?” He questioned, seeing as though both Jiwoo and Somin were staring at him suspiciously. He carefully stepped further into the room, raised an eyebrow as he did. 

“Oppa, did you get a girlfriend?” Somin asked, her eyes wide with interest. 

“Girlfriend? What makes you say that?” Taehyung furrowed his brows. He hadn’t even talked to any girls recently. 

“You seem really happy these days, oppa.” Jiwoo clarified, her tone still hinting suspicion. “We were wondering if it was because you found a lover?” 

Taehyung instinctually glanced towards Matthew, their eyes locking. Taehyung flushed a little and dragged his eyes away, staring back at Jiwoo. Matthew’s eyes widened a little at that; why did Taehyung look at him? 

“You’re blushing!” Somin's face broke out into a smile. “There is someone!” 

Taehyung needed to think up a lie, and quickly. “Well, there is this girl that frequents the shop I’ve been chatting to. And I’ve seen her at the pub a couple times too.” He ruffled the back of his hair as he gave an awkward chuckle. 

Matthew’s entire heart dropped into his stomach. He knew why Taehyung had said it, and maybe it was even true. But, he didn’t think it would hurt that much really. 

The next couple hours felt really long. Matthew just sat on the sofa, and thankfully since Jiwoo and Somin were home, Taehyung didn’t try to talk to him. 

Matthew needed some time to think anyway. He knew he shouldn’t have been hurt like that for no reason, but he couldn’t help it. He was soft; soft for Taehyung. 

“Well, I better get going.” Taehyung announced, seeing as though it was almost time for his shift. 

“Have a good night, oppa.” Somin gave the elder a hug before he walked to the door. 

“I will.” Taehyung hugged her back. He waved goodbye before pulling on his leather jacket and grabbing his keys. 

Matthew poofed into yellow smoke, disappearing from the apartment. Taehyung raised an eyebrow, wondering why Matthew was acting weird. He’d ask when they were outside. 

Taehyung locked the door before walking towards the end of the apartment building. He didn’t see Matthew until he was at the bottom of the stairs and outside. 

The sin stood against the wall, his arms crossed and his head turned away. Taehyung approached him, as he simultaneously placed a headphone in his ear and plugged it into his phone. 

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked, giving the sin a worried look. 

“I’m fine.” Matthew pushed off from the wall. He smiled at Taehyung but it looked sad. Too sad. He started walking in the direction of the pub. 

Taehyung suddenly grabbed Matthew’s wrist, stopping him. “Seriously, what’s wrong?” It was rare for Matthew to look sad. 

“Nothing,” Matthew smiled, grabbing Taehyung’s hand and pulling him forwards so they stood side by side. He immediately let go of Taehyung after though, opting to shove his hands in his pockets instead. “So who’s the girl you’ve seen then?”

“Are you seriously taking the piss?” Taehyung frowned. 

“Well, is it the one with the gold rings and diamond bracelet?” Matthew questioned, a smirk on his face. “I’ve seen her at the convenience store a lot.” 

“There is no girl.” Taehyung scoffed, quickening his pace as he walked to work. “I had to say something.” 

“Why not say there’s nothing then?” Matthew carried on. “They’ll wanna meet her now, ya know?” 

“I didn’t think okay…” Taehyung scratched at his nape. “I couldn’t tell them the truth about the really cool friend called Matthew because they can’t even see you.” 

Matthew’s smile grew into a happy grin. His strides became faster as he caught up with the human. “You think I’m cool?” He raised a brow with a smirk. 

Taehyung just rolled his eyes, trying to walk faster, but Matthew’s legs were long. “So I’m the one making you happier these days?” 

“I suppose.” Taehyung shrugged, not really thinking about it. The pub wasn’t far away now and he wanted to just start work and forget this conversation. He’d already embarrassed himself enough. 

Matthew just chuckled. Taehyung walked over the road and towards the pub. He made his way down the side, going through the back entrance. Matthew followed him into the staff area when he suddenly froze. 

Taehyung shrugged off his jacket and hung it up before turning back to the sin. “Matthew?” 

Matthew stood frozen in the doorway, his eyes shifting slightly. He could feel a familiar presence. “Impossible…” he mumbled, before glancing down at his pendant around Taehyung’s neck. 

“What’s wrong?” Taehyung glances around the room, wondering if there was anything. 

Matthew tried to focus on the aura he felt, but it was hard to pinpoint. “I don’t… feel well.” It wasn’t really a lie, but still. 

Taehyung frowned a little. “Well, you sit here for a while.” He gently took Matthew by the arm, directing him to sit on one of the benches in the staff room. “I gotta get out there, so just come out when you’re ready.” 

Matthew just nodded, though he wasn’t really listening. Taehyung pressed his hand to Matthew’s forehead, though he wasn’t sure if a sin could get sick. Matthew just glanced up, not fully understanding the gesture. 

“Feels fine.” Taehyung muttered. “Stay here and rest, okay? I’ll be just outside.” He gestured to the door. 

Matthew just nodded, though his eyes were downcast. Taehyung didn’t really want to leave him, but he had to. He patted Matthew’s head softly before making his way out towards the bar.


	20. XX

“Hyung, you’re here!” Yunyoung smiled as soon as Taehyung walked out of the staff room. 

“Hey.” Taehyung waves to the younger. 

“Seungyeobbie~” Yunyoung called out to the youngest. “You can go on break now, Taehyung-hyung is here.” 

“Ah, okay.” Seungyeob made his way towards the elder two. “Taehyung-hyung, the man at the end is almost finished with his drink, he might want another.” He gestured towards the other end of the bar. 

“Don’t worry I got it.” Taehyung patted the younger’s back before walking down the bar. He smiled as some people called out to him for drinks. 

Taehyung pulled a few pints, smiling and chatting with some regulars. He couldn’t help but glance back towards the staff room door. He was worried about Matthew. He’d been acting weird all day, but to suddenly freeze up like that. 

“Excuse me?” The man called out at the end of the bar. Taehyung glances towards him before making his way down. Thankfully the man had waited till the bar had calmed a little. 

“Hey, how can I help?” Taehyung smiled at the man. He was a handsome guy, like he could easily be an Ulzzang. 

“Can I get a scotch this time? On the rocks?” He smiled, making him look really charming. 

“You really want on the rocks?” The man stood behind him questioned, raising an eyebrow. He had his back to the man, but was still talking. 

“Shh.” The man at the bar hissed under his teeth, like he didn’t want Taehyung to hear. 

Taehyung just raised an eyebrow, but fixed a glass of scotch. “Does your friend want a glass too?” He asked innocently. 

“What?” Joon’s eyes widened, hearing the bartender’s question. “What friend…?” 

Taehyung frowned, gesturing with his eyes. “The guy stood behind you?” He questioned like it was obvious. 

Seungho immediately turned around, suddenly feeling a recognisably aura. He stared at Taehyung, only for his eyes to search him. 

“This guy?” Joon grabbed Seungho’s sleeve, like he meant him. 

Taehyung was starting to feel confused now. Were these two planning a trick on him. “Yes? The guy stood behind, black hair, green streak?” It was weird that he had to clarify. 

“You can see him?” Joon asked seriously, before standing up from his chair. “Seriously?” 

Taehyung was really lost now. Seungho narrowed his eyes at the bartender, stepping up closer to the bar. That’s when he saw it. It all became obvious now. 

In one swift move, Seungho reached over the bar and grabbed the pendant around Taehyung’s neck. He yanked the human closer, making him yelp. 

“Seungho!” Joon placed a hand on the sin’s shoulder, trying to get him to let go. 

“Where did you get this?” Seungho growled, looking over the pendant. The obvious gold coin imagery was enough. 

Taehyung tried to pull away. “It’s not mine! Now let go!” 

Seungho released the pendant, making Taehyung stumble back. Joon stepped in front of the sin a little. “What are you doing? What’s happening? Why can he see you?” He was asking too many questions. 

Seungho slowly moved Joon aside. “Where is he?” He growled at Taehyung. 

“Who?” He was really lost. He was just holding onto the pendant around his neck, almost afraid it would go missing. 

“Humans…” Seungho gritted our, feeling a little annoyed. “Where is Matthew Kim?!” He snapped, losing his patience. 

Joon placed both hands on the sin’s shoulders. “Seungho, calm down a little.” 

Taehyung stepped away from the bar, his heart racing. Yellow smoke suddenly poofed around him, and strong arms wrapped around him from behind. 

Seungho’s eyes widened as they locked with Matthew’s. Joon followed Seungho’s eyes, seeing the tall, well built man now behind the bartender. His eyes were large and almost filled with fear. 

“Invidia…” Matthew mumbled out. His arms subconsciously tightened around Taehyung, catching the human off guard. 

“Where did he…?” Joon’s eyes were looking up at Matthew. 

“Avaritia. Sin of Greed.” Seungho smirked a little, before pulling Joon behind him protectively. Thankfully the bar seemed in high spirits for anyone to notice what was happening in the corner of the bar. 

“Sin Of Greed?” Joon’s eyes widened at the realisation. They’d actually found another sin. 

“M-Matt… what’s happening?” Taehyung was starting to panic a little. 

“This is…” Matthew narrowed his eyes at the elder sin. “Yang Seungho, Sin of Envy.” He didn’t really know what to do. Should he take Taehyung and run? 

“Envy…?” Taehyung felt his stomach drop. There was actually another one of the Seven Sins right in front of him. “And who’s the taller guy?” He looked to Joon. 

“No idea…” Matthew muttered. 

Seungho gritted his teeth. “Enough games,” He suddenly pulled out a dagger, making Joon step back. 

“Seungho, what are you doing!?” He was starting to feel a panic coming on. 

“This is what I’ve been waiting for.” Seungho turned to Joon, a serious expression on his face. “We can see how to separate our souls through them.” 

“What?” Joon questioned. 

“Hey!” The bar owner suddenly appeared, glaring at Taehyung. “If you’re gonna fight, take it outside, Taehyung! You’re making a scene!” 

“What? But I-”

“Let’s take it outside.” Joon gestured to the door. They were starting to attract attention from a lot of innocent people. 

Taehyung just nodded. He shuffled towards the bar, taking Matthew with him. Seungho instantly stormed after them, dagger still tight in his grasp. 

Joon ran after his sin, the bar door slamming shut after them. “Seungho, wait!” Joon wrapped his arms around the Sin's chest, trying to hold him back. 

Matthew pulled Taehyung behind him, standing in front protectively. “Matt, what’s going on?” Taehyung asked, peering around the sin. 

Seungho gripped harder to his dagger, eyes turning green; Matthew’s were yellow, the both of them glaring. 

“Why are you here, Seungho?” Matthew shouted at the elder. 

“Matt?” Taehyung’s stomach was starting to churn. 

“It’ll be okay,” Matthew whispered, “I’ll protect you.” Taehyung was worrying even more with those words and the fact that Matthew kept his eyes on the other Sin. 

“Seungho, calm down please!” Joon wrapped both arms tight around the sin, hugging his shoulders. “Please! Put the dagger away…” he was trembling slightly. 

Seungho gritted his teeth. The dagger disappeared into green smoke, and the sin just stood. Joon didn’t let go, scared that Seungho would do something stupid. 

“This might be our only chance…” Seungho gritted out darkly. His head turned to Joon. “If we can separate them, we can figure out how to-“

“Not like this!” Joon buried his face into the sin’s shoulder, making him tense. Seungho sighed, his eyes glancing away. He couldn’t bring himself to shrug Joon away. 

Matthew narrowed his eyes, just watching the subtle interactions in front of him. Taehyung was still lost and confused, his hands gripping to the sin’s shirt back. 

“That’s not like you…” Matthew spoke softly. Seungho’s eyes immediately snapped up, meeting the younger sin’s. 

“What isn’t?” He growled slightly. 

“Stop fighting… please…” Joon sniffled suddenly. Seungho’s eyes widened, feeling warm drops against his neck. 

“Joon?” He tried to turn around, but the human’s grip didn’t let up at all. 

“We should leave.” Matthew glanced towards Taehyung. “We need to return home, right now.” 

“B-but work?” Taehyung couldn’t deny that he was scared. After all, the guy had just pulled a knife out on them. 

“You’re not going anywhere.” Seungho pointed at Matthew, his eyes serious. “Not after we spent all this time finding another!”

“You were actually looking?” Matthew accused as he turned back to the Sin of Envy. 

“You weren’t? Did you think you were just going to live out your life with that human until he died?” Seungho was being extremely blunt. Matthew’s ears started turning red, though he kept his expression stone. 

Taehyung noticed the slight shade shift. “I never hoped to stay forever.” Matthew mumbled, his eyes directed at the floor. Taehyung tightened his grip on the sin’s shirt. He wasn’t 100% sure what was happening still, but he was trying his best. Hearing the sad tone in Matthew’s voice made his chest ache. 

Joon finally looked up from Seungho’s shoulder at the two opposite. They weren’t at all what Joon had been expressing, especially not the other sin. He seemed very opposite to Seungho; tall, muscular and by the looks of it almost bashful. 

“Let… let me talk to the other human.” Joon finally loosened his arms around Seungho and stood straight. He immediately stepped in front, blocking Seungho from just leaping out at them. 

“Why do you want to talk to him?” Seungho questioned, curious to see what cards Joon had in hand. 

Joon took a deep breath, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. “We’re in the same predicament…” he stepped forward, trying his best to stay calm. 

Matthew instantly growled towards the human, wanting him to back off. Joon held his ground, “I want to talk.” His eyes were looking past the sin towards Taehyung. 

Taehyung bit his lip, finally letting go of Matthew. “Tae, don’t.” The Sin placed a strong hand on Taehyung’s shoulder. “We don’t know what he’ll do, just because he’s human doesn’t mean he’s good.” 

“I know.” Taehyung looked up at the sin, a small smile on his face. “I won’t let my guard down.” He gently pushed Matthew’s hand away before stepping out in front of him. 

Joon sighed slightly. He watched the other human slowly make his way towards him. Joon smiled, trying to look unthreatening. 

Taehyung just eyed him. He glanced down to the eye shaped pendant around his neck, seeing the green emeralds. He stopped a metre away from Joon, waiting for him to speak first. 

“Uh hi… I’m Lee Joon.” Joon stated, not really knowing what he should say. He held his hand out, trying to be formal. 

“Kim Taehyung.” The younger bowed his head, but didn’t take Joon’s hand. Joon retracted his hand, knowing why Taehyung didn’t take it. 

Joon wanted to ask so many questions. How has he coped living with a sin? Was it difficult or enjoyable?

“Do you know how… uh…” Joon was feeling awkward in his words. “How to separate your souls?” He thought it would be best to at least ask. 

“I have no idea.” Taehyung answered, his eyes serious as he searched Joon’s. “I have been with Matthew for a while now. We haven’t figured out how to separate yet.” 

Joon just nodded. Seungho had his hand behind him, his dagger manifesting. He had to try, even if it was cruel. He couldn’t leech Joon’s soul forever, and if it meant killing a meagre human, or the Sin of Greed, so be it. 

“Joon,” Seungho said, catching the human’s attention. As soon as Joon turned around, Matthew was first to jump, like he was going to attack. 

Seungho moves fast, grabbing Joon’s hand and pulling him back. Matthew jumped in front of Taehyung, wrapping an arm around his waist and turning to the side. 

Out of reflex, Seungho had thrust his dagger forwards. The blade slid straight into Matthew’s side, making him gasp and writhe at the pain. 

“Matthew!” Taehyung’s eyes widened, seeing the blood flow from the wound. 

Seungho pulled the dagger back, his eyes narrow. “Seungho! What are you doing!?” Joon screeches, seeing the blood trickle onto the floor. 

“If this is the only way to save you then I’ll try every option!” Seungho retorted. “I will not watch you die because you’re linked to me!” 

Joon just stared at the sin, his chest tight but his heart racing. Seungho was willing to go this far for him. “You don’t have to go that far!” He wouldn’t just idly step aside. 

“Matthew, are you okay?” Taehyung was starting to freak out. His hand was pressing into the sin’s wound, trying to stop the blood. Matthew was slightly limp, leaning his weight on the human. 

“I’m okay… don’t worry.” Matthew forced a smile. “This is nothing… I’ve had worse before.” 

“What?” Taehyung had his free arm around Matthew’s waist, trying to hold him steady. “Who’s hurt you before?” He hated the idea of someone hurting Matthew. 

“You really are attached.” Seungho glared. 

“Fuck you…” Matthew gritted out, forcing himself to stand straight again. “What’s even your plan…?” 

“I’m wondering if killing you will set the human free.” Seungho held his dagger tightly. 

Matthew narrowed his eyes, his arm around Taehyung’s shoulders. He held the human close, catching Taehyung off guard. 

“Are you going to resist, or die willingly?” Seungho questioned. 

“What is your problem!?” Taehyung suddenly shouted. 

“Tae…”

“Who are you to even threaten Matthew!?” Taehyung stepped in front of the sin, like he was going to shield him. Seungho wanted to laugh, but he was too distracted by how the human had talked to him. 

“I am Yang Seungho, Sin of Envy. I was the third sin of Satan and you think you can talk to me like that.” Seungho was posed to launch his dagger at the human. It didn’t matter to him if this human died or not. 

Seungho threw his dagger just as Joon ran in front of the over human. Joon clenched his eyes shut, ready to feel the impact. After a couple of seconds of nothing, Joon reopened his eyes, only to see Seungho now stood right in front of him. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Seungho gritted out. 

Joon was breathing deeply, his legs feeling like jelly. He glanced down at the sin, only to see the dagger now lodged in Seungho’s shoulder. He had teleported in front of Joon, taking the hit instead. 

“Seungho… I-!” 

“You’d protect people you don’t know instead of being on my side.” Seungho scoffed, his irises bright green. He turned away, his face contorted in annoyance. 

Joon instantly caught on. Seungho was having a jealous episode. He was irritated on how Joon was basically on the wrong side. 

“You’re going about this the wrong way!” Joon tried to reason. 

Matthew started frantically looking around, trying his best to find an escape route. Taehyung wanted to say something to the other sin, but he didn’t want to make things worse. But he couldn’t help but feel angry inside. 

“Then what should I do?” Seungho snarled. 

Joon’s tense shoulders slumped, seeing as though Seungho had calmed down a little. “We should talk about it… you don’t really want to kill people do you?” 

“I’d kill anyone if it meant setting you free from my plague.” Seungho mumbled, but Joon heard it loud and clear. 

“Seungho….” Joon wanted to hug the sin. He knew that he should be frightened of Seungho’s words and how determined he was with them, but he just couldn’t. He’d spent so long with Seungho that he knew how much this situation seemed to hurt him. 

“Your human is right, hyung.” Matthew tried. He squeezed Taehyung’s shoulder before releasing him completely. 

“Matt, wait…” Taehyung wanted to reach out to the sin, but he slipped away. Matthew stepped past Joon and stood before Seungho. 

Taehyung’s eyes widened; he was worried, no, scared for Matthew. This Seungho had just stabbed him and he was still bleeding. 

Joon had ended up beside Taehyung as the two sins stood before them. Seungho reaches behind himself, pulling the dagger out of his shoulder. It was posed back in his hand, like he was about to lash out. 

“Seungho-hyung.” Matthew held his hands up in defence. “We don’t really need to kill each other so we?” He’d never gotten on Seungho’s bad side before, so why start now. 

“Depends.” Seungho answered, “I don’t know how to separate mine and Joon’s souls, so I am willing to test a few theories on the other sins. Including you.” He was a lot shorter than Matthew, but he could take him in a fight no problem. 

“I don’t know how to separate the souls either.” Matthew glanced towards Taehyung. “But, don’t hurt him, please.” He turned back to Seungho with big eyes. 

Seungho was a little taken back. Matthew actually really cared about this human huh? Seungho glanced towards Taehyung, judging him. There didn’t seem to be anything very significant about him, just an average human. 

“Are you willing to die to save him?” Seungho questioned seriously. 

Matthew looked towards Taehyung, seeing the fear in his eyes. Taehyung shook his head at him. “Matt…” 

“I would.” Matthew answered seriously. “I’ve lived long enough, Taehyung’s life is only just beginning.” 

“Matthew!” Taehyung stepped forwards. “Don’t you fucking dare die on me!” He could feel his eyes stinging a little. 

Seungho ignored the human completely, just twisting his dagger in his hand. He could do it, kill Matthew right now. But the only question was; would he actually die? What if it accomplished nothing? 

“Seungho!” Joon yelled, making the sin immediately turn to him. “If you hurt him I will never forgive you!” He didn’t want to see Seungho do something so terrible. 

Seungho gritted his teeth, the dagger suddenly poofing into green smoke. Matthew released the breath that he was holding. He wouldn’t say anything about how Seungho seemed attached to Joon. 

Joon seemed extremely relieved, his hand pressed to his chest. Taehyung sighed, before placing his hands on his hips. 

“Can we be civilised now?” He asked seriously. 

“Sorry about that, Taehyung.” Joon smiled weakly at the younger. “Seungho has been trying to figure out how to separate our souls since it happened.” 

Taehyung couldn’t help but notice the sad hint in the elder’s voice. The soft sound of a phone vibrating suddenly cut through the silence. 

Joon pulled his phone out of his pocket, confused at the sudden call. “Yeoboseyo? Hyeongkonnie!? Why are you calling now?” 

Seungho’s eyes immediately flared green, catching Matthew’s attention. Joon quickly walked off, wanting to talk to Hyeongkon privately. 

“Hey, Taehyung!” The manager was at the doors of Four Aces, looking angry. 

“Crap.” Taehyung ran over towards his boss. He needed to come up with a good excuse as to why he was ‘fighting’ with Joon. 

Seungho and Matthew were left a good way away from the humans. They both glared at each other, feeling awkward. 

“We need to think logically about it.” Matthew started. “We can’t just kill each other relentlessly.” 

Seungho’s eyes directed away. “I can’t keep staying here. I’m killing Joon and I’m getting too familiar.” 

Matthew was a little surprised at the elder sin’s honesty. “I feel the same. But knowing Lucifer, there is no way it would be as simple as killing ourselves or our humans.” 

“You’re probably right.” Seungho shook his head before ruffling his hair. “But I don’t know what else to do.” 

“Me neither.” Matthew felt more calm around the elder now. Their sins weren’t exactly dangerous, but all of them could get violent. 

Seungho’s eyes glanced towards Joon, seeing the smile on his face as he talked to Hyeongkon. There was no way he could stay and live with that. 

“We should get Taehyung and your human to express contact information.” Matthew was looking towards Taehyung as he spoke. He was bowing and apologising continuously to the manager. 

“Why?” Seungho frowned. 

Matthew turned back to the Sin of Envy. “We should keep in contact at least.” Not that he wanted to keep rubbing into Seungho. “It can’t be coincidence that we ended up so close in proximity.” 

“You think the others are close too.” Seungho had been suspicious about them all too. 

“Ever since a customer came into the bar and I noticed your aura on him.” Matthew clarified. “I knew that meant you were close, but not like this.” 

Seungho just nodded. A customer with his aura that wasn’t Joon; he must have meant Hyeongkon. He didn’t really come into close contact with anyone else. 

Matthew sighed slightly. “I just think that to figure out what Lucifer is really thinking, we should stick together. No doubt the others are probably thinking about killing us too.” 

“You think it’s best that all seven of us reunite?” Seungho was sceptical at the thought. There were at least three he didn’t want to see ever again. 

Matthew just shrugged. “Lucifer wants all seven of us, so why separate us.” 

Seungho just nodded. “Fine. I’ll ask Joon to get your human’s contact information.” His eyes narrowed a little into a dark glare. “We’ll see how it all plays out in the end.”


End file.
